India, Oct. 2 -- Mumbai's Dussehra rallies, a tradition started by Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in 1966, will once again turn into a stage for political one-upmanship on Thursday as rival factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde hold parallel events in the city.

This year, Uddhav Thackeray will address his supporters at Shivaji Park in Dadar, while Shinde will hold his rally at the NESCO Exhibition Centre in Goregaon.

The rallies turned into a political battleground after the 2022 split, when Shinde's rebellion against Uddhav created two factions.

The rallies come in the wake of the Thackeray-led Sena's defeat in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections and ahead of crucial local body polls...