Grand event organised in Delhi to celebrate Shivaji Maharaj's birth anniversary

New Delhi: A grand event is being organised in the National Capital for the first time to celebrate the birth anniversary of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on February 19. While the event is being organised by the great Maratha warrior's 13th descendant, BJP MP Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati, it is seen as part of an effort by the BJP to step up aggressive Hindutva ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha polls next year. Besides sending a signal to its core vote bank, the event is also seen as an effort by the saffron party to woo the powerful Marathas, who are now demanding reservation in Maharashtra, currently under BJP-Shiv Sena rule.

Interestingly, a five-day event on Shivaji Maharaj is also being organised in April on the Red Fort lawns, titled 'Hindu Samrayaja ki gauravgatha (Saga extolling the life and times of Shivaji)' by the Raja Shivchhatrapati Mahanatya Aayojan Samiti. Also, the grand coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was depicted in this year's Maharashtra state tableau in the Republic Day parade. The “Rashtriya Raksha Mahayagya”, which will be organised next month, is seen as part of polarisation efforts by the ruling party.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday kicked off the rathyatra from the India Gate lawns that will collect soil and water from the border areas and the "Char Dhams" for this eight-day "Vedic yagya" at the Red Fort lawns. He said the event was not to win power but for "nation-building" and a fully-secure and prosperous India.

In Maharashtra, where ally Shiv Sena had said it would go it alone in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, even the NCP, headed by prominent Maratha leader Sharad Pawar, is seen as a big challenge to the BJP.