Mumbai: Mumbai’s civic body has denied permission to the two warring factions of the Shiv Sena from holding a Dussehra rally in the city’s iconic Shivaji Park on 5 October.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has disallowed the celebrations on the inputs of a senior police officer who fears a law and order situation, a civic official told ThePrint.
The Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park has been held annually since the inception of the Shiv Sena in 1966 – except for the two years of Covid in 2020 and 2021.
But now, since the party has split between founder Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav Thackeray and current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a scramble has ensued to claim the celebrations.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena petitioned the Bombay High Court on Wednesday for permission to hold the rally in the Dadar-area park. The hearing was slated Thursday.
However, since the BMC said a firm “no” on Thursday, the party has now challenged that decision, and will now be heard on Friday noon.
The BMC letter to both factions read: “While both the opponent applicants have applied for permission to hold the Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Maharaj Park Maidan, if any one of the applicants is granted permission to hold the rally, this may create a serious problem of law and order in the sensitive area of Shivaji Park.”
Thackeray faction’s Anil Desai had applied for permission on 22 August, followed by a request from the Eknath Shinde faction on 30 August through local MLA Sada Sarvankar.
Speaking to the media on this matter, Thackeray loyalist Anil Parab said, “The court will take a decision and we will accept it. But we are confident that we will get the permission. Since 1966, there has never been a law and order issue. And we have followed every rule.
“This is not a specific Dadar problem. A law and order problem can take place in BKC too where Matoshree (Uddhav Thackeray’s residence) is located. What if we say this? These are all excuses.”
Minister Deepak Kesarkar, however, defended MLA Sada Sarvankar’s request to hold the rally. “What is the harm? He is the local MLA, and has applied till now. So, what’s this question of law and order,” the minister told the media.
Incidentally, the choice of an alternate venue for the Dussehra rally is the same for both sides – the MMRDA ground in the Bandra Kurla Complex. The Shinde faction, however, beat the Thackeray group in this case as they applied first.
On Wednesday, Sena president and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray assured party workers that Dussehra celebrations would take place at Shivaji Park.
The Dussehra show of strength is crucial for Thackeray ahead of the city civic polls likely in January or February next year.
