Mumbai Braces for Explosive Shiv Sena Split: Rival Dussehra Rallies Set to Clash in City Showdown
MUMBAI: As the festival of Dussehra unfolds, Mumbai is preparing for a charged political spectacle with the two warring factions of the Shiv Sena staging parallel rallies across the city. This annual tradition, now fractured by internal divisions, underscores the intensifying competition between the groups ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
The faction led by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, known as Shiv Sena (UBT), will kick off its longstanding Dussehra event at Shivaji Park in Dadar West at 5 p.m. This venue has been a cornerstone of the party’s gatherings since founder Bal Thackeray launched the first rally there in 1966, symbolizing continuity amid turmoil.
Meanwhile, the group under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde plans its rally at the NESCO Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, starting at 6 p.m. The location was changed from Azad Maidan following severe waterlogging from recent heavy rains. Shinde has emphasized the event’s dual purpose: demonstrating organizational might while raising funds for farmers and families hit by floods. “We are maintaining the rally’s traditional splendor but incorporating social responsibility this year,” Shinde told supporters. “This assembly honors our farmers and aids flood victims.”
These events mark the final large-scale public outreach efforts before the local polls, where both sides are likely to trade barbs, invoke Marathi pride, and highlight concerns like urban development and disaster response. Thackeray, speaking at a press conference the day prior, lambasted the ruling Maha Yuti alliance for neglecting pressing challenges including soaring prices, joblessness, and inadequate flood aid in rural pockets. “This Dussehra rally transcends ceremony—it amplifies the public’s grievances,” he declared, positioning it as a bold assertion of his branch’s rightful inheritance of the party’s heritage.
Speculation swirls around potential overtures to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray, with Shiv Sena (UBT) sources suggesting he might appear at Shivaji Park, though nothing has been confirmed officially. Party MP Sanjay Raut dismissed the rival gathering as mere “smoke and mirrors,” adding that Shinde fails to grasp Bal Thackeray’s true ethos.
Shinde’s camp, in turn, frames its rally as a commitment to grassroots causes, urging volunteers from inundated areas to prioritize local relief over travel to Mumbai.
With thousands expected from Mumbai and nearby districts, the Mumbai Police are mobilizing over 19,000 officers, including specialized teams, to oversee crowds, reroute traffic, and ensure order. Restrictions will affect roads near Shivaji Park, Goregaon, and major entry routes, anticipating heavy influxes from across Maharashtra.