From Shivaji Park to NESCO: two Senas, one legacy and a Dussehra duel over Maharashtra

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) held its Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Dadar, where party chief Uddhav Thackeray attacked the Mahayuti government and challenged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Thackeray said Fadnavis should bring Lawrence Bishnoi, lodged in Sabarmati jail, to Maharashtra. He also questioned the state's law-and-order situation and raised the issue of drought.
Separately, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, speaking to reporters in Sangli, said the real Shiv Sena in Mumbai belongs to Uddhav Thackeray. He described the Shinde faction, which also claims the Sena legacy, as 'Amit Shah's organisation', and predicted that the Modi government would fall in April.
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde held its Dussehra rally at the NESCO grounds in Goregaon. The rally was dedicated to drought-hit farmers, and the Shinde faction announced relief such as ration kits, bicycles and sewing machines for drought-affected areas.
The Shiv Sena's first Dussehra rally was held on October 30, 1966. As the party marks 60 years this year, the occasion carried added significance.
Both rallies were held the same day, underlining the contest between the two factions over the Shiv Sena's legacy. Uddhav Thackeray's address also touched on the drought and the state's farmers, and the party's Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park has for decades been a marker of the Sena's political strength.
The two Senas have been locked in a contest over the party's name, symbol and legacy since the split of 2022. Holding their Dussehra rallies on the same day was, for both factions, a way of claiming the Shiv Sena's political inheritance.