Mumbai: With just a few hours to go before the Shiv Sena kicks off its annual Dussehra rallies in Mumbai, the party’s two factions — one led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the other by former CM Uddhav Thackeray — are busy with preparations.
Their aim is the same — to outdo the other.
It is unprecedented in the history of Shiv Sena, since its inception in 1966, for two rallies to be organised by the party in Mumbai on Dussehra. However, after the split within the party earlier this year and with both groups claiming they are the “real” Shiv Sena, a show of strength is expected from both sides.
After getting a shot in the arm from the Bombay High Court, Uddhav will be addressing the rally at the Sena’s traditional venue, Shivaji Park ground, while Shinde will be addressing the rally at the MMRDA Ground in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).
For Shiv Sena, the Dussehra rally has been among the most important events of the year with Shiv sainiks from across the state gathering in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park — earlier to listen to party chief Bal Thackeray and, later, party president Uddhav Thackeray. It is this rally that sets the political tone for the rest of the year.
With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections scheduled to take place a few months from now, plus the tussle between the two factions over who gets to claim the party symbol of a bow and an arrow as their own, the two rallies hold great significance for both.
While Uddhav is fighting for the continued existence of the party as under him, Eknath Shinde is trying to bring in a new order by claiming that his is the real Sena.
While speaking to ThePrint, representatives from both sides claimed lakhs of supporters are expected to attend their respective rallies.
“Preparations are in full swing at the BKC ground,” Kiran Pawaskar, spokesperson for the Shinde group, told ThePrint. “We are expecting one to two lakh people and arrangements are being done. Different leaders have been entrusted with the job of bringing people from their constituencies,” he said.
However, according to Kishori Pednekar, an Uddhav supporter, this figure of “lakhs of supporters” is based on the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Sena’s ally in Maharashtra. “People supporting the BJP, and some force is how they will gather people,” she said.
Over the past couple of days, the two sides have been engaged in a war over social media with both having released video trailers for their respective rallies. Shinde’s camp is banking on the ‘Hindutva ideology’ and saying he is the “true heir” to Bal Thackeray’s legacy and Uddhav’s group is banking on “loyalty” along with the “legacy” factor.
Going big
Eknath Shinde Sunday himself went to the MMRDA Ground to take stock of the preparations. There, speaking to reporters, he said: “A grand rally is being organised and I came to review the ongoing preparations. Lakhs of Shiv sainiks from all corners of the state will come for the gathering and, hence, I personally reviewed the work so that they do not face any inconvenience.”
For the big day, Shinde’s camp has booked nearly 4,000 buses to bring in people from various parts of the state to BKC.
However, Pednekar said that she, along with 1,000-1,200 people from her area, will be walking to Shivaji Park from Siddhivinayak Temple as has been the tradition. “I am responsible for my area, and we will arrive at Shivaji Park with musical instruments and gulal (red coloured powder),” she told ThePrint.
It has been speculated that both speeches — by Thackeray at Shivaji Park, and by Shinde at the MMRDA Ground — will happen around the same time.
According to Pawaskar, Shinde’s programme will start around 6 pm and go on till 9-9.30 pm. “His speech would be around 8-8.30 pm,” he told ThePrint.
The Shivaji Park rally, too, is expected to have similar timings with Uddhav Thackeray giving a speech at around 8 pm, ThePrint has learnt.
Video wars
Speaking to media persons Sunday, Shinde reiterated that his faction is the true heir to take forward Bal Thackeray’s legacy as a staunch Shiv sainik and someone who follows the ideology of Hindutva.
This is also imprinted on the banners shared by the faction which has photographs of Bal Thackeray and Sena strongman Anand Dighe, along with Eknath Shinde with the word “Eklavya” (someone who learnt by watching his teachers) written near the CM’s photo.
The videos shared by them have the voice of Bal Thackeray saying, “The saffron flag of Shivaji Maharaj, the saffron flag of Shiv Sena, and the saffron flag of Hindutva must keep fluttering in the sky, continuously and consistently.”
The video trailer released by Uddhav Thackeray’s faction also features Bal Thackeray in Sena Bhawan and the voiceover says, “The sea of loyalty will roll, the saffron flag will flutter, the power of Maharashtra will be displayed, this will be a historical Dussehra Rally.”
Meanwhile, several other leaders from both groups are trying to secure their place on the stage to address the crowds.
Among Shinde’s supporters, leaders and ministers like Deepak Kesarkar, Gulabrao Patil, Ramdas Kadam, Dada Bhuse, and Anandrao Adsul are expected to give speeches before Shinde, said Pawaskar. “To address their own people, our senior leaders would also give out speeches,” he said.
At Shivaji Park, Arvind Sawant and Bhaskar Jadhav are expected to address the crowd before Uddhav Thackeray takes over.
The importance of these rallies
For years, Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rallies were addressed by party chief Bal Thackeray, where he would put forth his thoughts — be it on the alliance with the BJP or on Hindutva — and no friend or foe was spared in these speeches delivered “Thackeray” style.
Lakhs of Shiv sainiks from across the state would gather at Shivaji Park just to listen to his speeches.
After his death, this tradition was upheld by his son and party president Uddhav Thackeray.
However, since the split in the party in June 2022, Shinde, along with 40 Sena MLAs and 12 MPs out of 18, is claiming to be the “real” Shiv Sena. The battle is in the courts and the Supreme Court last week allowed the Election Commission to decide on who gets to keep the party symbol.
With the BMC elections round the corner, Shinde, who has the support and backing of the BJP, will try to dethrone the Uddhav-led Sena from the civic body where it has been ruling for the past 25 years.
Addressing his party workers in Mumbai 10 days ago, Uddhav Thackeray said he will speak about this ‘gaddari’ (deceit) in his Dussehra rally speech.
The Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar — who was part of the former Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government in the state with the Shiv Sena and Congress before the split — though Monday had a message for both Shinde and Uddhav. He advised them to not cross the line in their speeches and said that Eknath Shinde, as a representative of 14 crore Maharashtrians, should give a responsible speech.
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