Like last year, this year too, the Shinde and Thackeray groups released video trailers seeking to one-up the other in their claim to be the “real Shiv Sena” and keepers of founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy
Dussehra is here. And both the Shiv Senas – one led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the other led by his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray – are once again at loggerheads over their mega rallies on Saturday. These gatherings will most likely become a show of strength for both the parties in poll-bound Maharashtra.
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Shinde will lead his party’s rally at Azad Maidan while Thackeray will be at Shivaji Park, which is the original venue. And, like last year, this year too both factions released video trailers seeking to one-up the other in their claim to be the “real Shiv Sena” and keepers of founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy.
n their video, Shinde’s Sena took a swipe at the Thackeray faction saying it has “tamed the Shiv Sena tiger by aligning with the Congress and NCP”. “Dussehra gathering of Shiv Sena 2024. Marathi is our breath. Hinduism is our life. Let’s go to Azad Maidan… Come ringing, come roaring,” wrote the party in its post on X, while sharing the teaser.
It showed a tiger, with Sena written on it, being betrayed by tying it to the Congress with a rope. Animation used in the teaser goes on to show Shinde emerging and cutting the rope with an arrow.
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Thackeray’s Sena also shared a number of videos inviting people to their Dussehra rally. In its teaser, the party talked about saving Maharashtra’s pride and burying traitors, a reference to MLAs who rebelled against the former CM. At the rally, he is expected to blame the BJP for splitting his party and launch attacks on its former ally.
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In fact, in one of their posts, they wrote, “Where there is Thackeray, there is Shiv Sena. Where there is Shivtirtha, there should be a Dussehra gathering!”
Apart from Dussehra rallies by the two Senas, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Maratha activist Manoj Jarange are also leading rallies on the festival, which celebrates the victory of good over evil and marks the end of Navratri and Durga Puja.
WHY ARE THE RALLIES SO IMPORTANT?
Balasaheb’s Dussehra rally tradition is important in the context of social as well as political messaging, especially with the upcoming assembly elections this year. The rally held an important place for the undivided Sena since the 1960s. Hence, this year, both the parties have a target to attract as many supporters as possible for their rallies.
After the split in the Shiv Sena in June 2022, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party continued to hold rallies at Shivaji Park. The Shinde-led Sena first held its rally at the MMRDA ground in Bandra Kurla Complex. In the last two years, the Shinde group has been holding rallies at Azad Maidan.
Shinde’s Sena, which is part of the ruling Mahayuti, is still smarting from the blow of a below-par performance in Maharashtra during the Lok Sabha elections. But, the Shiv Sena (UBT) seems to be on a high despite the stunning loss of the Congress in Haryana, its INDIA bloc partner. The rallies will set the tone ahead of the polls and are expected to boost the morale of the party workers from both sides.
