Ahead of Dussehra rallies, Uddhav and Shinde Sena factions fight it out on social media

 A social media battle has broken out ahead of the head-to-head rallies in Mumbai tomorrow between the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions of the Shiv Sena. While Uddhav has been granted permission to hold the rally at Shivaji Park, the Sena’s traditional venue in Mumbai, the Shinde faction will stage its event at the MMRDA ground in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The annual Dussehra rally is a Shiv Sena tradition since its inception in 1966. Let’s take a closer look: Trailer battles The Uddhav-led Sena faction on 3 October tweeted out a video with the caption: “One leader, one flag, one field…Devotional Shiv Sainiks .. traditional historical Dussehra gathering! Venue: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park (Shivatirtha), Dadar. 5 October 2022, evening. 6.30 pm.” Also read: Advantage Uddhav: Shiv Sena, the significance of Shivaji Park, and the Dussehra rally tradition The inference is clear – that the Uddhav-led faction is using tradition to stake a claim to Bal Thackeray’s legacy.

“This is my Thackeray family. End this," Uddhav said amid shots of cheering crowds at the Shivaji Park. “Each one of them has Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray in their hearts." The Uddhav-led Sena on 30 September put out another video:

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) claimed the faction headed by Uddhav Thackeray is the “real” Shiv Sena. The Sharad Pawar-led party is of the view that the ‘real’ Shiv Sena carries the ideas of the late Bal Thackeray, state NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said. “Two Dussehra rallies will be held this year. One is of tradition, loyalty, self-respect and the ideas of Balasaheb (Thackeray) which means the one led by Uddhav Thackeray. Even though the decision on which (faction) is the real Shiv Sena is pending with the Election Commission, the real Shiv Sena is the one that has the ideas of Balasaheb (Thackeray) which means it is the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena,” Tapase said in a video statement. At the Shivaji Park too, the Uddhav Thackeray camp is making its own preparations for the rally — building the stage and making seating arrangements for Shiv Sainiks loyal to the Sena president. The top leadership of the Uddhav Thackeray faction met at Shiv Sena Bhavan, the party headquarters in Dadar, to take stock of the on-going preparations. Some Shiv Sainiks from Beed district in central Maharashtra owing allegiance to the Thackeray camp are travelling on foot to attend the rally at the Shivaji Park.

Meanwhile, the faction of Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde is using Bal Thackeray’s own voice to bolster its case.

The faction put out this tweet:

“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,” Thackeray says in the clip. The Print, quoting Shinde on Sunday as saying his faction is the true heir to Bal Thackeray’s legacy, noted that the faction has released banners with photographs of Shinde alongside the Sena founder, and party strongman Anand Dighe.

The world Eklavya written near Shinde’s photo also alludes to Shinde’s claim, as per the report.

Shinde in a dig at his rival Uddhav on Monday said principles are important irrespective of venue, and asserted his faction’s Dussehra rally will be a grand success. Shinde also visited the MMRDA ground at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), the venue of the rally in suburban Mumbai, and took stock of the preparations. He said the preparations for the rally are on in full swing at the sprawling ground, located close to “Matoshree”, the private residence of the Thackeray family in suburban Bandra. “I have visited the venue (in BKC) and the preparations are in full swing. Lakhs of people from across the state will come to the rally and all departments are working to ensure they don’t face any problem. Our preparations will get over tomorrow (Tuesday) and this rally will be a success,” Shinde told news channel NDTV The chief minister said his faction of the Shiv Sena is taking forward the ideals propounded by party founder late Bal Thackeray “Principles are important irrespective of venue. We are taking forward the ideas of Balasaheb Thackeray. Looking at the response, the people have accepted our decision (to part ways with the Thackerays for aligning with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress),” he said, referring to his rebellion in June that led to the collapse of the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Sheetal Mhatre, a spokesperson for the Shinde camp, said the preparations at the ground are almost 80 per cent over and 4,000-5,000 buses have been booked by MLAs and MPs to ferry their supporters to the rally site. Shinde on Sunday said that they will not challenge the Bombay High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court for allowing the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction to hold Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.

“We respect the Bombay High Court’s decision and will not challenge it in Supreme Court,” said Shinde.

On 23 September, the Bombay High Court ruled in favour of the Shiv Sena and allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to hold the Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park. The tussle between the Shinde-led faction and the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction was in full pace for weeks and the decision came only after brawls came to the fore. Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab confirmed the development and said that the permission was given for a duration of five days starting 2 October. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .