Uddhav Thackeray was unseated as Chief Minister by Eknath Shinde, who got majority of Sena MLAs with him.

Mumbai:

Both feuding factions camps of the Shiv Sena have been denied permission to hold the party’s annual Dussehra Rally at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) says that if permission is given to any one camp, there might be “a law and order situation”.

While the rebel group led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde hasn’t yet reacted, the camp led by Uddhav Thackeray, who technically remains Shiv Sena chief, has gone to the High Court for permission to use the venue. 

The hearing is expected later today.Unseated as Chief Minister in a coup about four months ago, Uddhav Thackeray has been asserting that the rally will be held at the venue that’s synonymous with fiery speeches of his late father, party founder Bal Thackeray.

But Eknath Shinde’s faction, which is recognised as the Shiv Sena inside the assembly, wanted the same venue as it claims the Bal Thackeray’s “original” legacy of “Hindutva and Marathi pride”. 

This is the first Dussehra since the split in June.