The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena on Monday asserted there was no other option but to hold its annual Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai next month and said it will approach court if permission to use the iconic venue was denied to them. Talking to reporters, a Shiv Sena spokesperson and former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar accused the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra of trying to corner the Thackeray faction over its Dussehra rally, one of the most important events in the Shiv Sena's annual calendar. Pednekar claimed efforts are being made to ensure the Thackeray faction was not able to hold its annual rally on Dussehra, which will be celebrated on October 5. If you are trying to corner us by displaying arrogance of power, by pressuring officials (to deny nod for using the venue), then we will do what (Sena president) Uddhav ji decides. You will see what happens. The party chief (Uddhav Thackeray) will decide (on the future course of action) ..
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Monday said it will be easier for them to get permission for their annual Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai, after the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde got nod to hold a rally in the Bandra Kurla Complex here. Shiv Sena MP and spokesperson Arvind Sawant, who supports the Thackeray-led Sena, tod PTI that the 'first-come-first-serve' principle was applied while giving permission to the Shinde group to hold a rally at the MMRDA ground in BKC, which is a stone's throw away from 'Matoshree', the private residence of former CM Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai. The rival Sena factions had staked claim to hold their rallies at the iconic Shivaji Park, which is synonymous with the Shiv Sena. Both sides had also alternately applied for permission at the BKC for the rally on Dussehra next month. The Shinde faction had received nod to hold its rally at the BKC. But, no decision has been taken for the Shivaji Park ground by the ..
In a veiled swipe at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he heads the "original " Sena which was born out of social work spanning four generations. Addressing the party functionaries at Shiv Sena Bhavan here, Thackeray said Sena cannot be "snatched away or purchased". "We are the original party born out of decades of social work spanning four generations," he said. Thackeray said the attempts made in the past to weaken Shiv Sena by engineering splits and defections had failed and wouldn't succeed even now. Shiv Sena spokesman and Lok Sabha MP Vinayak Raut told PTI that Thackeray asked the party functionaries to activate the grassroots cadre and focus on strengthening the party organization. Thackeray told the party functionaries that the annual Dussehra rally of Shiv Sena will be held at the traditional spot at Shivaji Park in Mumbai and asked them to prepare themselves for the event. As part of the preparations for the
Amid mounting criticism over Gujarat bagging a multi-billion Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the neighbouring state was not a part of Pakistan and alleged a "10 per cent commission" had to be paid for availing any subsidy during the previous Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) government. Without naming the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Fadnavis targeted the party for opposing big-ticket projects like a refinery in Maharashtra which had the potential of taking the state ahead of others for the next ten years, as he slammed his former ally for stalling the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train and Mumbai Metro 3 infrastructure ventures. Fadnavis said after taking over as the deputy chief minister in June-end, he personally met Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal and Maharashtra even offered a tailor-made package to the company to match up the Gujarat offer, but he was told a decision to move the semiconductor unit to Gujarat was in
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has hit out at former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, saying that his style of functioning was responsible for the split in the Shiv Sena. He also admitted that believing senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar was his "biggest" political blunder, and added that in order to take revenge for the back-stabbing, it was important that one lives long. After the 2019 Assembly election results, Fadnavis and Pawar had taken oath as the state chief minister and deputy CM, respectively, at a hush hush ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan in November that year. However, their government lasted only nearly 80 hours after Pawar quit. Speaking at the CNN News18 Town Hall event on Saturday, Fadnavis said only Uddhav Thackeray has to be blamed for the recent political turmoil in the state and it was his style of working that led to the split in the Shiv Sena. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government comprising Shi
Workers of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's camp clashed with each other here in the early hours of Sunday, officials said. After complaints from the two groups, Mumbai Police registered First Information Reports (FIRs) against 10 to 20 members of both the sides, including local MLA Sada Sarvankar, they said. The Dadar police also arrested five Sena workers who were later released on bail, they said. The incident took place around 12.30 am in New Prabhadevi area in which Sena functionary Santosh Talavane was allegedly attacked by Mahesh Sawant and 30 others, police said. Talavane is part of the Shinde camp, while Mahesh Sawant belongs to the Thackeray-led Sena. Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant, who supports former chief minister Thackeray, demanded action against Shinde camp legislator Sada Sarvankar under the Arms act for allegedly firing in public at the clash spot. After meeting officials at Dadar police station following the arrest o
The BJP and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Saturday shared a picture and video of each other's leaders with a 'relative' of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon. BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar circulated a video claiming that it showed one Rauf Memon, Yakub's relative, attending a meeting with Sena leader and former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar. Uddhav Thackeray's aide Harshal Pradhan hit back by sharing a photograph purportedly showing the same Rauf Memon with BJP's Devendra Fadnavis and Chandrakant Patil. Earlier this week, the BJP had claimed that Yakub Memon's grave was beautified when the coalition government led by Uddhav Thackeray was in power in Maharashtra, a charge rejected by the Shiv Sena. Yakub Memon, one of the Memon brothers who were prime conspirators of the 1993 serial blasts, was hanged in 2015 following his conviction.
A controversy has erupted over the burial place of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon in Mumbai, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming that the grave was "beautified" and attempts were made to turn it into a shrine of sorts. The BJP claimed that Memon's grave was "beautified" during Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's tenure as Maharashtra chief minister and sought his apology over it. However, the Sena leaders maintained that the party and the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had nothing to do with it and that it was being dragged into the issue unnecessarily. As the row erupted over the issue, Mumbai police swung into action on Thursday, removing the LED lights put around the grave of the terror convict, who was hanged at Nagpur jail in 2015 and buried at the Bada Qabrastan in south Mumbai. A DCP-level police officer will probe how the LED lights and marble tiles came to "adorn" the terror convict's grave, an official said. With some Maharashtra
With eye on elections, Uddhav faction has formed alliance with Sambhaji Brigade, while ruling coalition has also reached out to community leaders
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A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will hear on September 27, an application of Uddhav Thackeray-led faction seeking to restrain the Election Commission from deciding on the claim of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led group over the "original" Shiv Sena party. The bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud said it will pass directions indicating the timeline for hearing all other issues emanating from a batch of petitions filed by both the sides related to power of speaker/deputy speaker and governor in relation to the political crisis which had happened in Maharashtra few months back. The bench was hearing pending cases related to the crisis that led to the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state. As the matter was taken up for hearing, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for the Shinde faction, told the bench also comprising Justices MR Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha that the opposite sid
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray was denied permission to meet party MP Sanjay Raut, who is currently lodged in Arthur Road Jail in connection with a money laundering case
Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday said the "real" Shiv Sena is the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and only it has the "moral right" to hold the party's annual Dussehra rally in Mumbai's Shivaji Park. Mumbai's civic body has said it had received applications from the Uddhav Thackeray and Shinde-led factions of the Shiv Sena to "book" the sprawling Shivaji Park for the party's Dussehra rally in October. The rally, arguably the most important event in the Shiv Sena's political calendar, has been taking place at Shivaji Park for several decades, but has two claimants this time due to a split in the Sena following a rebellion by Shinde in June. Speaking to reporters in Pune, Athawale said the Shinde faction has the support of two-thirds of the Shiv Sena's elected representatives and workers, and expressed the hope the ruling camp will get decisions in its favour from the Election Commission and court in matters pending before them over the party symbol .
The Supreme Court Tuesday took note of the Eknath Shinde faction's claim about the Uddhav Thackeray camp stalling the proceedings before the poll panel where the former's application staking claim over the Shiv Sena and its symbol is pending, and said it will consider listing its plea before a constitution bench. The Election Commission is seized of a plea by the faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde seeking it be declared the real Shiv Sena and granted the party's bow and arrow poll symbol. The top court, while referring to a five-judge constitution bench several questions related to defection, merger and disqualification arising out of the recent Maharashtra political crisis had on August 23 directed the Election Commission not to pass any order on the Shinde faction's plea. According to us, there was no interim order. The court had granted an extension of time to the other side (Uddhav group). Now, the other side is stalling the proceedings before the Election Commission.
Shah slammed Thackeray saying he compromised on everything to become the CM with the support of NCP and Congress despite seeking votes in the 2019 polls in the name of PM Modi and Devendra Fadnavis
Sounding the bugle for the BMC polls, Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena president saying he "backstabbed" the BJP and called upon the party workers "not to tolerate traitors"
The current situation faced by the Shiv Sena requires a fightback that only hardcore, loyal Sainiks can accomplish, party chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Sunday in a reference to the rebellion led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Addressing members of the Vahatuk Sena, the transport wing of the party, at his residence, Thackeray said he has received 11,000 new membership forms and affidavits from the Vahatuk Sena. "Our numbers are growing and the transport carriers of the Vahatuk Sena should fall short to carry all these affidavits," he said in an apparent reference to the ongoing case against the Shinde faction in the Election Commission in connection with the party symbol. The Sena cadre was a determined one and transporters know how to skip potholes, he said.
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari allowed to withdraw the list consisting of 12 names for the nomination to the legislative council proposed by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government
The historic Shivaji Park ground here has become the new bone of contention between the two rival Shiv Sena factions, both clamouring to hold the annual calendar event, the Dassehra Rally
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Monday asserted that the party's annual Dussehra rally will be held at the Shivaji Park in Mumbai. Thackeray's remarks came against the backdrop of his faction not yet getting a nod from the Mumbai civic body for the rally, a decades old political event held by the Sena in the sprawling Shivaji Park and synonymous with the fiery speeches of party founder late Bal Thackeray. This will be the first Dussehra rally of the Shiv Sena after the split in the party in June this year. The revolt by a group of Sena legislators had led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led government. On Saturday, Uddhav Thackeray's son and former state minister Aaditya Thackeray said authorities were not accepting an application from the Shiv Sena to hold its annual Dussehra rally. Dussehra will be celebrated on October 5 this year. Talking to reporters on Monday, Uddhav Thackeray said Shiv Sainaiks have begun preparation to come to the Shivaji Park from different parts