With Dussehra less than a month away, the Sena (UBT) sent a reminder to the civic body to give it approval. In the reminder letter, it said it has been more than a month since they applied but the BMC hasn’t replied to them nor given them permission. Sena (UBT) functionary Mahesh Sawant, who has made the application, said the BMC is deliberately delaying permission and claimed the BMC’s G-North ward office has sent the file for legal opinion.
“We have been writing to them for almost two months. Our rally will be held at Shivaji Park. The BMC must decide in 2-3 days. If they don’t, we will go ahead with our strategy and may have to go to the high court,” Sawant said.
In a repeat of the showdown ahead of Dussehra last year, the rival factions of the Shiv Sena, led by CM Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray, have filed applications with the BMC to hold their annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park. Both filed their applications last month.
The application for the Shinde-led Sena was made by Mahim MLA Sada Sarvankar. Dussehra will be celebrated on October 24 this year.
Sena functionaries said that with MMRDA grounds at BKC (where the Shinde Sena held its rally last year) out of bounds due to the bullet train project that is coming up on the plot, the faction which doesn’t get permission for Shivaji Park may have to hold its rally at the NESCO grounds in Goregaon or at a new location altogether.
An officer from BMC’s G-North ward said the first letter requesting permission was sent by Sarvankar, while the second request letter came from UBT Sena’s Sawant.
“No decision has been taken yet. The request letters are still with the ward and if required, will be presented before the deputy municipal commissioner of zone 2 for an opinion. Last year, as the firing incident had taken place before the rally, we had taken an opinion from the police with regard to the law and order situation. This year, however, that may not be done,” said the official.
The firing incident the official was referring to was the one in which Sarvankar was accused of firing a gun outside the Dadar police station premises during a clash between workers of the Sena (UBT) and the Shinde Sena.
