Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday advised Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to avoid a face-off over the annual Dussehra rally of the Shiv Sena. Both the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the rebel faction headed by Shinde have sought the Shivaji Park ground here as the venue for the annual Dussehra rally of the party. 


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"A chief minister should avoid confrontation and take everyone along," Pawar, a former CM, said when asked by reporters about the issue. 


Shiv Sena, founded by Bal Thackeray in 1966, has been holding the Dussehra rally since its inception. 


Shinde led a revolt against Uddhav Thackeray in June this year which led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led coalition (Maha Vikas Aghadi) government of Sena, NCP, and Congress. 


Asked about Pawar's advise, the Shinde faction's spokesperson Naresh Mhaske invoked past face-offs involving the Thackerays. 


"When then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray got Union minister Narayan Rane arrested while he was having his meal, did Pawar advise Thackeray to avoid confrontation? When `Yuvraj' (an apparent reference to Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray) makes comments against Shinde, does Pawar ask him to exercise restraint?" Mhaske asked.