Uddhav faction may move HC to hold rally at Shivaji Park

MUMBAI: With the BMC sitting on the applications of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and CM Eknath Shinde’s faction for close to a month, the Thackeray team has drawn out a two-pronged plan to ensure it holds its annual Dussehra rally at the iconic ground. It is likely to move the Bombay high court if the BMC rejects permission or delays it any further. Its other strategy is to go ahead with the rally without permission.
A senior Sena functionary said, “We had applied for permission on August 22, and it has been almost a month since. The BMC had claimed the application would be examined after the Ganpati festival. Now it has been 10 days after the end of the Ganpati festival, but still no decision has been taken. This is nothing but a delaying tactic. We will be moving the HC soon if the application is rejected or if there is unfair delay.”
The Shinde group had also applied for the MMRDA grounds, after which the Thackeray team applied for another plot on the same grounds. The MMRDA has given the Shinde faction its nod for rally, while the Thackeray faction’s request was turned down.