Dahi Handi celebrations in Thane: Supporters of Eknath Shinde, Uddhav Thackeray gear up for show of strength

THANE: As the stage is set in the lake city of Thane for the Dahi handi festival, high political stakes ahead and prize money in lakhs are involved this year which is the home turf of chief minister Eknath Shinde.
The annual fete is taking place after a gap of two years following the pandemic that will witness a show of strength between the two rival groups of Shiv Sena, one led by Shinde and another led by Shiv Sena party president and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Ahead of civic elections, both the rival groups are making brisk preparations to gather a maximum crowd for the mega event which is one of the stepping stones for any politician like any other event including Navaratri and Ganesh Chaturthi.
This year both the rival groups, one led by Shinde and another by Thane MP Rajan Vichare are organising the fete at a distance of just 150-200 meters apart.
They both are vying to take the credit of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and also late Shiv Sena district chief Anand Dighe.
The rival factions have put up two handis one for Thane and another for Mumbai mandals, to be named after Thackeray and Dighe.
The city police have made elaborate arrangements for the festival.
While the one by Shinde is the one started by Dighe several years back, another one is blessed by Dighe.
The organisers of the handi at Tembhi Naka are put up by Shinde group, the other one is put up by Vichare at the Jambli Naka.
Shinde group claimed the handi is one of respect, Vichare group claimed it is the layer of loyalty, unity and culture and also the voice of Hindutva.
NCP leader Jitendra Awhad’s Sangharsh Pratishthan at Panchpakhadi, which was also popular, has been discontinued for the past few years and will not be organised this year too.