The Dasara rallies will mark the election season in Maharashtra this time, with all eyes on the Sena vs Sena face-off. Uddhav Thackeray will hold his annual Dasara rally at Shivaji Park, in the Marathi heartland of Dadar where the party has been traditionally holding the rally for decades now.
To claim that they are the true flag bearers of Hindutva, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde will hold his Shiv Sena rally at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai. The roads leading to both the venues, which are over 15 kilometres away from each other, have been lined up with saffron flags. While the roads leading to Azad maidan have saffron flags with the bow and arrow symbol of Shiv Sena, the roads leading to Dadar are plain saffron flags.
Sena vs Sena Dasara rallies LIVE updates
Both the leaders are expected to give the party line for the upcoming elections. Most importantly, the speeches will be watched for any hints of the political combinations in the State at a time when the Shiv Sena UBT has slammed Congress for its performance in Haryana and when Shinde is facing heat from alliance partner and DCM Ajit Pawar’s party.
Battle of promos
In a year when Dasara rallies have gained special significance due to the upcoming elections in Maharashtra, what has been seen prominently is the battle of promos between the two Shiv Senas.
Days before Eknath Shinde’s rally at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, the party put out a promo showing Eknath Shinde as the protector of the tiger of Shiv Sena, emerging from behind the tiger with a bow and arrow.
The promo shows that the tiger has been tied with a rope to the symbol of the tricolour palm (Congress), with Uddhav Thackeray’s caricature standing next to the symbol. The promo shows Eknath Shinde jumping from behind the tiger with a bow and arrow, and rescuing the tiger from the symbol of the hand. The tiger is thereafter shown hugging Eknath Shinde.
This is a narrative the party has been trying to set for some time now, claiming that it freed the Hindutva Sena from the clutches of the Congress and MVA, and retained its true Hindutva. The move ostensibly tries to wipe away the ‘gaddar’ or backstabber image.
Shiv Sena UBT has brought out promos showcasing Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray to be the true inheritors of Balasaheb Thackeray’s thoughts and Hindutva, warning that a broken down Sena under Uddhav Thackeray will also show what it can truly do.
Published - October 12, 2024 06:32 pm IST
