Shinde-led Sena to hold Dussehra rally at Azad Maidan on October 24

At a meeting of Sena functionaries late on Tuesday night, CM Shinde, who is also the chief of his faction of Shiv Sena, told the functionaries that next year onwards, the party will not apply for permission to hold their Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar.

The decision, the party functionaries said, has been taken since Shinde does not want unnecessary clashes with Sena (UBT) and create any issues that can lead to a law and order situation in the state as he is the CM of the state and it is his responsibility to maintain peace.

“Last year, we didn’t have the bow and arrow, the Sena’s poll symbol and the name Shiv Sena during the rally. But this year, we have been recognised as the real Shiv Sena. They (Sena UBT) were afraid that we would stake a claim on their property and funds. But we don’t want anything… our real wealth is the thoughts of Balasaheb.. now also there shouldn’t be any controversy or clashes over the Shivaji Park ground.. maintaining the law and order is our responsibility.. so now there is no need to apply for that ground,” Shinde told the party functionaries.

Both Sena factions had staked a claim on Shivaji Park for holding their annual Dussehra rallies on October 24, setting the stage for a repeat of last year’s face-off.

However, in a surprising move, Shinde last week announced that his party would not stake claim over Shivaji Park and would consider Azad Maidan or Cross Maidan for the rally.

After the split in Sena last year, both the factions fought over the venue for the Dussehra rally. They filed applications with the BMC to get permission for the rally, but the civic body rejected both applications. The Bombay High Court eventually allowed Sena (UBT) to hold the event at Shivaji Park on October 5, while the Shinde-led Sena held its rally at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) ground in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).