Shiv Sena changes Dussehra rally venue; to hold it at Goregaon's NESCO Centre instead of Azad Maidan

Mumbai, Sep 30 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said the Shiv Sena will hold its annual Dussehra rally at the NESCO Exhibition Centre in Goregaon area here instead of the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

The rally was earlier planned at the Azad Maidan, which has turned into a puddle following heavy rains in the city.

Addressing a press conference here, Shinde, who heads the ruling Shiv Sena, said, "The Dussehra rally will take place at the NESCO Centre." He was responding to a question whether the annual rally would take place at Azad Maidan despite the ground getting affected by rains.

Shinde also urged party workers from the state, other than those from Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), to reach out to the flood-hit farmers and help them during the festive time.

The rival Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray has decided to go ahead with its annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park which also has turned into a puddle.

The annual Dussehra rally was started by Shiv Sena supremo late Bal Thackeray after he founded the party in 1966. After the Shiv Sena split in 2022, each faction of the party - the ruling one led by Shinde and the opposition party headed by Thackeray - hold separate rallies.

Dussehra is being celebrated on October 2. PTI PR NP