The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has granted Shiv Sena (UBT) permission to hold its Dussehra rally at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park on October 20, clearing the way for the party’s annual event at the central city ground. The approval was issued by the civic body’s G-North ward to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, which was the only political organisation to apply for the venue this year.
The permission was sought by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai. According to the report, the BMC has attached several conditions to the approval, including compliance with Maharashtra Pollution Control Board rules. The organisers must ensure that sound from the rally does not travel beyond the ground and that soil is not spread on the premises.
The event will be allowed only until 10 pm. The civic permission also states that a security deposit of ₹20,000 can be forfeited if the ground is damaged, misused or if any of the specified rules and conditions are breached.
The organisers will also have to submit a registered undertaking on a ₹500 stamp paper. The undertaking is required to provide a written assurance that the rally will be conducted in accordance with the BMC’s conditions.
Shivaji Park has been a politically significant venue for the Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally, but the location became the centre of a legal and administrative dispute after the party split. In 2022, both the Eknath Shinde-led faction and Shiv Sena (UBT) applied to hold their rallies at the ground. The matter reached court, after which the UBT faction received permission to use Shivaji Park.
Following that dispute, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena began holding its Dussehra rally at the Bandra-Kurla Complex. In 2024, multiple parties applied for Shivaji Park, but some later withdrew their applications, leaving the ground available to Shiv Sena (UBT). Last year, the Shinde-led party held its rally at BKC while Shiv Sena (UBT) used Shivaji Park.
No application was submitted by the Shinde faction for Shivaji Park this year, according to the report. That means the BMC did not have to adjudicate between competing political claims for the ground, although the permission remains subject to restrictions governing sound, ground protection and the closing time.
The approval places the responsibility for compliance on the event organisers and gives the civic body a financial condition through the security deposit. The rally is scheduled to proceed at Shivaji Park on October 20, with the organisers required to follow the undertaking and all conditions in the permission letter.
