Mumbai:
Mumbai’s annual Dussehra rally – traditionally a chance for political messaging, particularly in an election years like this – will be held today, with the rival Shiv Sena factions holding individual events, as they have since the Eknath Shinde vs Uddhav Thackeray battle split the party in two.
Mr Thackeray’s faction will hold its rally at the historic Shivaji Park – home to Sena Dussehra allies every year since the late 1960s, starting from party founder Balsaheb Thackeray.
The rival group led by Mr Shinde will hold his rally at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.
Both will be hours-long events with festivities and food stalls leading up to the main event – speeches by ex-Chief Minister Thackeray and Chief Minister Shinde at their respective grounds.
Both sides may have to deal with muddy terrain given recent heavy rain in the city, but Thackeray Sena leader Sanjay Raut has insisted this will not affect the day’s schedule.
Ahead of today’s rallies, both sides have released teasers.
The Shinde faction’s teaser shows a tiger – called Sena – tied to the Congress with a rope cut by Mr Shinde with an arrow. The Thackeray Sena’s poster talks about saving Maharashtra’s pride and burying traitors – a reference to the MLAs who joined Mr Shinde in the rebellion.
The battle for Maharashtra – perhaps the last prestige election of the year – will see a Congress, battered by defeat in Haryana and a humbling Jammu and Kashmir this month, go up against a BJP that has won three of the six Assembly polls in 2024 and the April-June general election.
But these are the supporting acts.
The main battle will see factions of the Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, which also saw a Sena-like split after nephew Ajit Pawar rebelled against uncle and party patriarch Sharad Pawar.
The Thackeray Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP are allied with the Congress under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) banner, while the other two are allied with the BJP as the Mahayuti alliance.
The former alliance has the bragging rights after a strong performance in the Lok Sabha poll; MVA parties won 30 of the state’s 48 seats, with the Congress claiming an impressive 13.
Much of that confidence, though, may have been eroded by the Congress’ poor show in Haryana and J&K. The Thackeray Sena – allied with that party at the national level too, under the INDIA bloc – ripped into Rahul Gandhi and co. this week, accusing it of not accommodating allies.
The Congress’ Maharashtra unit responded swiftly, pointing out that political realities between each state are different and that, in their state, the party is committed to working with allies.
The BJP and the Mahayuti alliance have talked up their chances of returning to power, with Mr Shinde’s Sena faction positioning itself as the ‘true’ heir to the legacy of Balsaheb Thackeray.
It won’t just be the Sena vs Sena Dussehra rallies in focus.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil – who made headlines for a hunger fast over demand for reservation for his community – will address an event in Beed district. He has not, thus far, made an overt political move, but the MVA and Mahayuti are both on alert.
Last week Patil issued a warning of sorts, demanding reservation be confirmed before the Model Code of Conduct kicks in. “Both sides should not play politics with the Marathas,” he said.
Election dates (Maharashtra and Jharkhand) have not been announced yet – they are expected after Dussehra – but party sources say voting is likely to take place mid-November.
