Shiv Sena is a Hindu right-wing party founded in 1966 by Bal Thackeray, then a political cartoonist, in Maharashtra. The party fought for the rights of the Marathis in the face of a wave of immigration from Kerala and other southern states in the 1960s. But from pro-Maratha, it soon took on the image of being a pro-Hindu party, and has faced charges of inciting hate and participating in the violence, leading up to the Bombay riots of 1992-1993.
In alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena came to power in Maharashtra in 1995. The alliance remained till 2019, except for a brief breakup in 2014. It was in 2019, that the Shiv Sena, now under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, decided to break with the BJP, and joined hands with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) — parties ideologically opposed to it. This led to a split in 2022, when another Shiv Sena emerged under Eknath Shinde.
Rebellion, though, is not new to the party. The Sena split in 1991 when senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal quit along with many MLAs and workers. Then, in 2005, Narayan Rane quit and took several lawmakers along with him. Uddhav Thackeray’s cousin, Raj, left the party along with several lawmakers and workers in 2006.
Extortionist, goonda chiefs like this should not be treated as politicians and should be jailed for their unending crimes!
I fully agree with the author, post Ayodhya, this is Shiv Sena 2.0. In fact BJP (Modi-Shah) is soon going to be viewed as a sinking ship. So SS can also receive some defectors coming in from that side. I have voiced my humble opinion before also, post 2019 there is a great possibility of a split in the current “united” BJP. If Udhav Thakrey is agile and tunes his antennas properly, he can catch a large wave coming in from that side. Who knows, SS might completely turn the tables on BJP!