Mumbai, Oct 1 (IANS) On the occasion of Dussehra, five different rallies will be held in the state, including those of Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena chief leader Eknath Shinde.

Heavy rains have caused huge damage to agriculture in many places in the state. Marathwada has been hit the hardest by the rains. Against this backdrop, Dussehra rallies of various leaders and parties will be held in the state tomorrow. Dussehra rallies have special importance in the state’s politics.

The Vijayadashami programme of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is also organised in Nagpur.

While rallies of both the Shiv Sena factions will be held in Mumbai. BJP leader and Minister of Environment Pankaja Munde will also hold her Dussehra rally at Bhagwan Gad in Ahilyanagar district. Pro Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil will also hold a rally at Narayangad tomorrow.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) party’s Dussehra rally 2025 will be held at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, also known as Shivtirth in Dadar.

The party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s speech will be the main attraction, and party insiders said that he is likely to sound the bugle for the upcoming election to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and other local bodies in the state.

He is also expected to step up the attack against the MahaYuti government, especially for its handling of the present natural disaster caused by heavy rains and floods in Marathwada and other parts of the state.

The party took to X to announce Thursday’s rally, “Thoughts of Thackeray, Voice of Maharashtra, Dussehra Gathering 2025. The torch of Maharashtra’s welfare will blaze right here!”

On the other hand, Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally will be held at NESCO Exhibition Centre, Goregaon instead of Azad Maidan. Shinde, in his post on X, said, “This year’s Dussehra rally on the farmers’ bund. The venue has changed, tradition is not.”

Shinde is expected to fire a fresh salvo against his former boss and Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray while outlining the party’s plan to win the BMC elections as a key ally in the MahaYuti.

The Shiv Sena Dussehra rally has been a tradition for the past 58 years. In 2006, due to heavy rains on Dussehra day, the Shivaji Park ground was covered with mud and due to this, the rally was cancelled that same year, while in 2009, it was postponed due to the model code of conduct for the assembly elections.

In the two years 2020 and 2021, due to the Corona crisis in the state and the country, the Dussehra rally was held in a closed hall at the Swatantryaveer Savarkar Memorial. However, after the Shinde group split from Shiv Sena in 2022, separate Dussehra rallies of the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray group and the Shiv Sena Shinde factions are being organised.

BJP leader Pankaja Munde’s Dussehra rally will be held at Bhagwan Gad. Her rally is important amid ongoing protests for pro-Maratha and OBC reservations.

The pro-Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil will address at Narayangad in Beed district. Jarange-Patil, who called off his protest in Mumbai last month, is pressing for the implementation of the government resolution issued early September with regard to providing Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community members.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is completing 100 years of its formation. In this context, the rally organised by the RSS on the day of Dussehra will have special significance. On the day of Dussehra, the Sangh performs Shastra Pujan. After this, there will be a speech by Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat.

–IANS

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