Ahead of Dasara rally, rival Shiv Sena factions face-off with verbal duels, ‘teaser wars’

The teaser released by Mr. Thackeray simply proclaims that “a sea of loyalty” will descend upon Shivaji Park on October 5

Ahead the impending face-off between the rival Uddhav Thackeray and the Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena factions over the October 5 Dasara rally, verbal slanging matches accompanied by ‘teaser wars’ have erupted between the two camps.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shinde camp’s ally, has further stoked the fumes with BJP MLA Ram Kadam claiming that Mr. Thackeray was allegedly seeking help from his Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies – the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress – to fill up the Shivaji Park in Mumbai where the Thackeray faction are going to hold their rally.

“Given that Uddhav Thackeray failed to keep his flock together and most of his MLAs, MPs and Sena party cadre have deserted him, it is being said that their rally will be flocked with Congress and NCP workers. Talk is that NCP and Congress cadres will be brought in buses to Shivaji Park on October 5. The Thackeray faction ought to clarify these rumours,” said Mr. Kadam, the BJP MLA from Ghatkopar West in Mumbai.

While the Thackeray camp has managed to gain access to the Shivaji Park (known as ‘Shivtirth’ by Shiv Sainiks) for the rally, the Shinde camp will stage theirs at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai.

Deriding the Thackeray as ‘Penguin Sena’, BJP State spokesperson Keshav Upadhye claimed that a quid pro quo arrangement had been worked out between the Thackeray faction and the Congress whereby the former has agreed to support Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo’ yatra in return for supporting the Thackeray Sena’s event at Shivaji Park.

“The Congress has agreed to bring crowds for the Thackeray camp’s rally at Shivaji Park. In return the leftover Sena has agreed to support Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo’ yatra. This clearly proves that the ‘Penguin Sena’ [Thackeray faction] has permanently distanced itself from the Hindutva ideology,” alleged Mr. Upadhye.

While the annual Dasara rally held at Dadar’s Shivaji Park has always been inextricably associated with the Thackeray family, current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s intra-party revolt has led to the Shinde faction claiming that Uddhav Thackeray has lost its right to hold the Dasara rally as it had ‘forsaken’ Hindutva ideals with its alliance with the ideologically opposed NCP and Congress.