Unseasonal rains save the blushes for Shiv Sena

MUMBAI: October rains may have dampened the Garba enthusiasts in Mumbai. But they proved to be a godsend for the beleaguered Shiv Sena. A wet Shivaji Park ground in Dadar gave the Sena just the kind of excuse it was hoping for to call off its Dussera rally scheduled for Monday evening.

The party on Sunday evening announced that Bal Thackeray has decided to call off the rally since he did not want party supporters, especially women, to suffer the inconvenience of sitting in the wet ground. The new date for the rally would be finalised soon.

Sources, however, sounded more realistic in analysing the reasons for this unprecedented move by the Sena patriarch. “It’s a very unusual gesture by Balasaheb. In the past, there have been numerous occasions when holding the rally on Dussera evening has caused a lot more inconvenience to people. Yet, Balasaheb never called it off because it’s important to keep the date with Dussera. It’s not as simplistic as it sounds,” a senior Sena leader told ET.

In the 41-year history of the party, never before has the Dussera rally been called off or postponed. In fact, last year some Sena leaders even thought of applying for a Guinness Book entry for the party’s Dussera jamboree for its 40-year consistency as a political programme held at the same ground and addressed by the same person. Though the Guinness record plan was dropped later, unexpected cancellation of Dussera rally this year has certainly embarrassed the party cadres, sources said.

Party cadres are all the more demoralised because they were looking for a morale boosting act from the 80-year-old Sena head honcho in the backdrop of a slew of reverses the party has suffered in the past couple of years. “The decision to call off the rally stems from party leadership’s apprehension over two counts. First, Raj Thackeray’s rally on March 19 at the same ground after he left the Sena was a roaring success.

On his day, Balasaheb would outshine any politician, not to speak of his nephew. But his falling health has become a cause of worry and it was whispered in the party circles that he may not at all address the rally this year, passing on the mantle to Uddhav,” a Sena leader said.

Uddhav, sources said, is a pale shadow of his father and compares poorly with Raj Thackeray when it comes to popularity and charisma. Already passing through a prolonged bad phase, a poor show at Shivaji Park would have proved ominous for the party, sources said. “That could have again raised questions over Uddhav’s ability as a leader and crowd-puller. Balasaheb is still our best bet,” a Sena legislator added.