The controversy over cutting around 1,825 trees in Nashik’s Tapovan forest for the 2027 Kumbh Mela took an unusual turn on Friday, with the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena joining protests in Nashik, marking yet another sign of friction within the ruling Mahayuti coalition comprising BJP, Sena and NCP.

The development comes a day after CM Devendra Fadnavis defended the tree felling to accommodate Kumbh Mela devotees, called objections “political environmentalism” and cited space constraints.

For weeks, environmentalists, residents, and cultural figures, including actor Sayaji Shinde, have opposed the reported clearance of 1,800 tress from Tapovan area, which is spread over 35 acres and is slated to be used to build houses/akhadas for sadhus coming from across the country.

Earlier,

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