The Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj statue was unveiled in Belagavi amid opposition on January 5,2025.The ceremony took place and was organized in Angol, Belagavi with the Public Works Minister in Maharashtra ,Shivendra Raje Bhosle, acted as the chief guest presiding over the events and doing the honours on January 5.
Shivendra Raje Bhosle, a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Public Works Minister, along with Mayor Savita Samble, unveiled the statue of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the 2nd Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, at Angol in Belagavi on Sunday. The inauguration event was also attended by local MLA Abhay Patil, Deputy Mayor Anand Chavan, and thousands of BJP workers.
Despite the opposition from the Sri Ram Sena-Hindustan led by Ramakant Konduskar ,the ceremony was conducted and the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj statue was unveiled in Belagavi today in the evening.
More than 1,500 women in saffron attire, holding poornakumbh on their heads, participated in the Shobha Yatre at 4 p.m. , marking the unveiling of the statue of the great warrior, Dharmaveer Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Additionaly, around 50 Dhol and Tasha Troops ,along with zanz pathaks,were also part of the rally. Several other people and children on horses were dressed in the attire of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj which truly captured the attention of the public. The entire rally was covered with Saffron Flags and attire.
The Belagavi City Corporation(BCC) decided to unveil the statue of the Maratha king on Sunday. The Belagavi City Corporation(BCC) has spent ₹ 40 Lakhs on the statue of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Meanwhile, some local outfits opposed the unveiling, because of the incomplete work of the statue. DC Mohammad Roshan, on the evening of Saturday,denied to give permission to unveil the statue on the date scheduled by the BCC.
Several security arrangements were made by the police, to avoid confrontation between BJP workers and SRS-H activists.
SRS-H has demanded the inauguration ceremony to be postponed because of some major concerns, as the statue and the surrounding structures were not ready and was incomplete for the ceremony to be displayed to the public. Meanwhile, SRS-H has also stated that there is a pending court case against the structure of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj statue. Because of the arising concern, SRS-H has requested the authorities to delay the inauguration until the emerging pending issues are resolved, by ensuring a lawful and unveiling of the statue.
The District Adminstration Officials said that the event will be allowed after a careful study of all the legal aspects. Despite this, the event was allowed to proceed on Sunday evening of January 5,2025.
Members of the Belagavi City Corporation, which includes Vani Joshi, Abhijit Jawalkar, Nitin Jadhav and other leaders were also present in the event.
The Mayor argued with Deputy Commissioner of the city corporation, Laxmi Nippanikar, who tried to tell her that necessary permits for the event have not been obtained and has asked her to make all the relevant arrangements for the event.
Mr. Patil and Mr. Konduskar are considered as the political adversaries and have been a prominent figures in the political background, especially in Belagavi. Mr. Patil defeated Mr. Konduskar, a nominee of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti in the last elections. However, considering the pressure of the MLA Abhay Patil and BJP Corporators, DC Roshan changed his decision late at night, and then permitted the uneviling of the statue of The Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj ,with a very limited crowd.