BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal told PTI that the administration has denied permission to both the factions of the party for holding a rally at the Shivaji Park on the occasion of Dussehra on October 5 as the Shivaji Park police in their feedback said the permission for the rally to any of the two factions could lead to a "serious problem of law and order in the sensitive Shivaji Park area".
The civic administration has sent letters to both factions of the parties about the decision.
Anil Desi from the Uddhav-faction applied to BMC seeking permission for holding a rally at Shivaji Park on 22 August. A few days after, on 30 August MLA Sada Sarvankar of the Shinde faction also applied for a nod from the civic body's G-North ward for holding the Dussehra rally at the park.
"While both the opponent applicants have applied for permission to hold the Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Maharaj Park Maidan, if any one of the applicants is granted permission to hold the rally, this may create a serious problem of law and order in the sensitive area of Shivaji Park," BMC's said in a letter sent to both the factions.
Interestingly, the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde got the BMC nod last week for holding a rally at the MMRDA ground at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) in Mumbai.
On Thursday, MLA Sada Sarvankar (Shinde faction) also filed an application in Bombay High Court to not hear or decide on the plea of the Uddhav-led faction for permission to hold their annual Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park. He submitted that any decision from the high court could cause an impediment to the ongoing dispute on who represents the "real Shiv Sena".
In his application, Sarvankar, the MLA from Dadar in Mumbai also referred to Maharashtra Chief Minister as the "Mukyaneta of Shiv Sena."
