Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are set to visit Shivaji Park Sunday (February 18) morning on the occasion of Shivaji Jayanti (birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj). The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a notification about this event Saturday. Shivaji Park is regarded as a Shiv Sena bastion and is known for the party's annual 'Dussehra-Melawa'. It is pertinent to note that following the vertical split in the party last year, the two Sena factions engaged in a tug of war to get permission to hold the annual rally in this ground. The CM-DCM duo will pay floral tributes to Shivaji's statue Sunday morning and this will be their first public gathering after the Election Commission of India (ECI) allowed the Shinde Faction to retain the original 'Shiv Sena' name of the party along with its emblem of 'Bow and Arrow'. When asked if Sunday's event is going to be another show of strength rally, a senior BJP leader said, "This is a routine programme, held every year, where the CM and the DCM will pay floral tributes and respects to Shivaji Maharaj on Shivaji Jayanti."
