Sixty Years After Its First Shivaji Park Rally, Split Shiv Sena Factions Prepare For Rival Events

Sixty years after Bal Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena and held its first public rally at Dadar's Shivaji Park, rival factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde are holding separate rallies on October 20 to claim the party's legacy.

The First Gathering

When Bal Thackeray organized the first rally on October 30, 1966, he had been advised by senior leader Subhash Desai to choose a smaller venue because the party was founded just four months earlier. Thackeray refused, and the ground filled with a crowd that surprised organizers. Volunteers from local gymnasiums managed the gathering, while a steel tiffin box was passed around to collect donations.

Origins And Campaign

The meeting followed a campaign led by Thackeray's Marathi weekly magazine, Marmik, which argued that Marathi-speaking people were being overlooked for jobs in government concerns and private companies. The city was still adjusting to the formation of Maharashtra in 1966, and Thackeray argued that residents needed to organize to secure their place in the city. South Indians became early targets of this politics, and contemporary accounts noted that after the first meeting ended, some crowd members stoned Udupi hotels and chanted slogans calling for the expulsion of Madrasis.

Speakers And Growth

Speakers at the inaugural rally included Thackeray's father Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, also known as Prabodhankar, and Congress leader Ramrao Adik, with Bal Thackeray speaking last. The success of the gathering established Shivaji Park as the setting for the party's annual Dussehra address, which Bal Thackeray continued to address until his death, after which Uddhav Thackeray took over the tradition.

Rival Rallies

The 2022 split in the Shiv Sena led to Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde leading rival factions. This year, Uddhav's Shiv Sena (UBT) secured Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation permission for a Shivaji Park rally on October 20 under 24 conditions, while Shinde's faction chose the Nesco grounds in Goregaon.

Different Messages

The two factions have set out different messages for their events. The Shiv Sena (UBT) released a teaser urging workers to gather at Shivaji Park as a blazing torch to protect the Constitution, linking mobilization to Opposition protests over electoral rolls. Shinde's rally at Nesco is dedicated to drought-hit farmers, with plans to provide sewing machines, financial support for daughters' marriages, and trucks carrying ration kits.

Context

Shivaji Park has long served as a central political ground for major public meetings and rallies in Mumbai. Annual political events at large public grounds often double as major tests of strength for rival factions vying for party identity and voter support.