Shiv Sena
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Shiv Sena ( IAST: ''Śiva Sēnā'') () was a right-wing to far-right
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...
regionalist and Hindu ultranationalist political party in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
founded in 1966 by cartoonist
Bal Thackeray Bal Thackeray (; 23 January 1926 – 17 November 2012), also known as Balasaheb Thackeray, was an Indian politician who founded the Shiv Sena, a right-wing pro- Marathi and Hindu nationalist party active mainly in the state of Maharashtra ...
. Originally emerging from nativist movements in Bombay (present-day
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
), the party agitated for preferential treatment for the
Marathi people The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...
over migrants from other parts of India. Its election symbol for Maharashtra was the ''Bow and Arrow''. Although the party's primary base always remained in
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, it tried to expand to a pan-Indian base. In the 1970s, it gradually moved from advocating a pro-Marathi ideology to one supporting a broader Hindu nationalist agenda, and aligned itself with the
Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
(BJP). The party took part in Mumbai ( BMC) municipal elections for its entire existence. In 1989, it entered into an alliance with the BJP for
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
as well as
Maharashtra Legislative Assembly The Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha or the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the legislature of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated in the Nariman Point area of South Mumbai in the capital Mumbai. Presently, 288 me ...
elections. The alliance in the latter was temporarily broken in the
2014 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2014. * 2014 United Nations Security Council election 16 October 2014 Africa * 2014 Algerian presidential election 17 April 2014 * 2014 Botswana general election 24 October 2014 * 2014 Comorian presi ...
, although it was quickly reformed. Shiv Sena was a coalition partner in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from 1998 until 2019, including the
Vajpayee Government Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian politician who served twice as Prime Minister of India, first from 16 May to 1 June 1996, and then from 19 March 1998 to 22 May 2004. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vajpayee was the tenth Pri ...
from 1998–2004 and the
Narendra Modi Government The premiership of Narendra Modi began on 26 May 2014 with his swearing-in as the prime minister of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He became the 14th Prime Minister of India, succeeding Manmohan Singh of the Indian National Congress. Modi' ...
from 2014–2019. After the October 2019 Maharashtra elections, Shiv Sena claimed that promises were not kept by their alliance partner the BJP and broke ties. The party joined hands with the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
and the
Nationalist Congress Party The Nationalist Congress Party ( NCP) is one of the nine national parties in India. The party generally supports Indian nationalism and Gandhian secularism. It is the largest opposition party in Maharashtra and is also a significant party ...
in to form a government in Maharashtra. This alliance lost power in 2022 after
Eknath Shinde Eknath Sambhaji Shinde (pronunciation: knaːt̪ʰ ʃin̪d̪e born 9 February 1964) is an Indian politician and president of Shivsena serving as the 20th and Current Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He was earlier the Cabinet Minister of Urban ...
, a rebel Shiv Sena leader, gathered the support of a majority of Shiv Sena MLAs along with the BJP and became Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The party subsequently split in two, with Shinde's faction forming
Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena The Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena () is a Hindu nationalist political party in India formed in 2022 under the leadership of Eknath Shinde. It was allotted a new symbol by the Election Commission, separate from the main Shiv Sena. It is now on ...
and the faction of erstwhile leader
Uddhav Thackeray Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation: d̪ʱːəʋ ʈʰaːkɾeː born 27 July 1960) is an Indian politician who served as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022. He was also the president of Shiv Sena prior to ...
forming
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) is a secular, nationalist Indian political party formed in 2022 under the leadership of Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray. It was allotted a new symbol by the Election Commission, se ...
. The party had a powerful hold over the Hindi film industry. It has been referred to as an "extremist", "chauvinist", or " fascist" party. Shiv Sena has been blamed for the 1970 communal violence in
Bhiwandi Bhiwandi () is a city in the Thane district in Maharashtra, India. It is located northeast of Mumbai and northeast of the city of Thane. The city is a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Bhiwandi is a commercial city and a major trade c ...
, the 1984 Bhiwandi riot, and violence in the 1992–1993 Bombay riots. The party draws its strength from the support of the
Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...
and
Kunbi Kunbi (alternatively Kanbi , Kurmi ) is a generic term applied to caste system, castes of traditional farmers in Western India. These include the Dhonoje, Ghatole, Hindre, Jadav, Jhare, Khaire, Lewa (Leva Patil), Lonare and Tirole communities ...
communities of Maharashtra which Shiv Sena drew away from the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
.


History


Origins

After the
Independence of India The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...
in 1947, regional administrative divisions from the colonial era were gradually changed and states following linguistic borders were created. Within the Bombay Presidency, a massive popular struggle was launched for the creation of a state for the Marathi-speaking people. In 1960, the presidency was divided into two linguistic states -
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
and
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
. Moreover, Marathi-speaking areas of the erstwhile Hyderabad state were joined with Maharashtra. Bombay, in many ways the economic capital of India, became the state capital of Maharashtra. On one hand, people belonging to the
Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...
community owned the majority of the industry and trade enterprises in the city. On the other hand, there was a steady flow of
South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...
n migrants to the city who came to take many white-collar jobs. In 1960
Bal Thackeray Bal Thackeray (; 23 January 1926 – 17 November 2012), also known as Balasaheb Thackeray, was an Indian politician who founded the Shiv Sena, a right-wing pro- Marathi and Hindu nationalist party active mainly in the state of Maharashtra ...
, a Bombay-based cartoonist, began publishing the satirical cartoon weekly '' Marmik''. Through this publication, he started disseminating anti-migrant sentiments. On 19 June 1966, Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena as a political organisation. The Shiv Sena attracted many unemployed Marathi youth, who were attracted by Thackeray's charged anti-migrant oratory. Shiv Sena cadres became involved in various attacks against the South Indian communities, vandalizing South Indian restaurants and pressuring employers to hire Marathis.


Alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party

The Sena started placing more weight on the
Hindutva Hindutva () is the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India. The term was formulated as a political ideology by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. It is used by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the ...
ideology in the 1970s as the 'sons of the soil' cause was weakening. The party began a coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for seats in the
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
and the Maharashtra Assembly from 1989. The two formed a government in Maharashtra between 1995 and 1999. The Sena was the opposition party in the state along with the BJP from 1999 to 2014. However, the 25 year alliance with the BJP was threatened in 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections over seat sharing and both contested the election independently. With the BJP becoming the largest party following the 2014 election, Sena declared opposition. However, after negotiations, Sena agreed to join the government in Maharashtra.Shiv Sena to join Fadnavis govt; gives up claim to home minister, deputy CM post
Indian Express, 4 December 2014
The Shiv Sena-BJP combine governs the
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC; IAST: ), also known as the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), is the governing civic body of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. It is India's richest municipal corporation. The ...
. Traditionally the main strongholds of Shiv Sena have been Mumbai and the
Konkan The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...
coastal areas. However, in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections the result was reversed. The Shiv Sena made inroads in the interior parts of the state, while suffering losses in Mumbai.


Formation of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena

In July 2005, Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Sena leader
Narayan Rane Narayan Tatu Rane (born 10 April 1952) is an Indian politician and former Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He currently serves as Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the Second Modi ministry. He has previously held Cabinet Minis ...
was expelled from the party, which sparked internal conflict in the party. In December the same year
Raj Thackeray Raj Shrikant Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ ʈʰaːkɾeː born Swaraj Shrikant Thackeray; 14 June 1968) is an Indian politician and the founding chairperson of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a regional political party. Raj wa ...
, Bal Thackeray's nephew, left the party. Raj Thackeray later founded a new party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). After the split, clashes have occurred between followers of the two Senas. Although the MNS is a break-away group from the Shiv Sena, the party is still based in Bhumiputra ideology. When unveiling the party in an assembly at Shivaji Park he said, everyone is anxious to see what will happen to Hindutva and, "I shall elaborate on the party's stance on issues like Hindutva, its agenda for development of Maharashtra and the significance of the party flag colours at the 19 March public meeting."


Leadership change

Bal Thackeray Bal Thackeray (; 23 January 1926 – 17 November 2012), also known as Balasaheb Thackeray, was an Indian politician who founded the Shiv Sena, a right-wing pro- Marathi and Hindu nationalist party active mainly in the state of Maharashtra ...
's son
Uddhav Thackeray Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation: d̪ʱːəʋ ʈʰaːkɾeː born 27 July 1960) is an Indian politician who served as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022. He was also the president of Shiv Sena prior to ...
became the party's leader in 2004, although Bal Thackeray continued to be an important figurehead. After the death of Bal Thackeray on 17 November 2012, Uddhav became the leader of the party but refused to take the title "Shiv Sena Pramukh" (Shiv Sena Supremo).


2022 Maharashtra political crisis and split

Following the 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election, which was contested by Shiv Sena as part of an alliance with the BJP, the longtime allies In January 2018, Shiv Sena officially cut ties with the BJP and their National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition ahead of the 2019 Indian general election after nearly 30 years of campaigning alongside the BJP. But in February 2019, BJP and Shiv Sena announced the resumption of their alliance for the general elections as well as the 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election. The election saw Shiv Sena lose votes, after which they declined to support the BJP in forming a government over the BJP's refusal to engage in power-sharing. Shiv Sena withdrew from the NDA, precipitating a political crisis in late October-early November 2019. Ultimately, the crisis led to party leader
Uddhav Thackeray Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation: d̪ʱːəʋ ʈʰaːkɾeː born 27 July 1960) is an Indian politician who served as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022. He was also the president of Shiv Sena prior to ...
becoming Chief Minister through the support of the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
and the
Nationalist Congress Party The Nationalist Congress Party ( NCP) is one of the nine national parties in India. The party generally supports Indian nationalism and Gandhian secularism. It is the largest opposition party in Maharashtra and is also a significant party ...
. The three parties formed the
Maha Vikas Aghadi The Maha Vikas Aghadi or Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (English: ''Maharashtra Development Front''), abbreviated as MVA, is a state-level political coalition formed after the 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election under the leadership of Udd ...
sub-alliance to
govern A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
Maharashtra. In 2022, during a party meeting, Thackeray explained his move to pull out of NDA to join the
United Progressive Alliance United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is a centre-left political alliance of predominantly left-leaning political parties in India. It was formed after the 2004 general election with support from left-leaning political parties when no single party ...
. "We supported the BJP wholeheartedly to enable them to fulfill their national ambitions. The understanding was they will go national while we will lead in Maharashtra. But we were betrayed and attempts were made to destroy us in our home. So we had to hit back". Thackeray accused BJP of dumping its allies according to its political convenience. He said, "BJP doesn't mean Hindutva. I stand by my comment that Shiv Sena had wasted 25 years in alliance with BJP." On 20 June 2022, elections to the
Maharashtra Legislative Council The Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad or Maharashtra Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Maharashtra state in western India. Location The seat of the Vidhan Parishad is situated at the Nariman Point area of South M ...
were held, in which members of the Legislative Assembly voted to elect members of the upper house. Shiv Sena and its allies won less seats than expected, while the BJP won more. This was attributed to some members of Shiv Sena cross-voting for BJP candidates. Immediately afterward,
Eknath Shinde Eknath Sambhaji Shinde (pronunciation: knaːt̪ʰ ʃin̪d̪e born 9 February 1964) is an Indian politician and president of Shivsena serving as the 20th and Current Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He was earlier the Cabinet Minister of Urban ...
, a senior Shiv Sena leader, began negotiating with the BJP with the support of several Shiv Sena MLAs. On 29 June 2022, Uddhav Thackeray resigned from the post of Chief Minister as well as from the Legislative Council after the Supreme Court ruled that he must prove his majority. A new government was formed that included the BJP and a majority of Shiv Sena MLAs. On 30 June, Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the new Chief Minister with
Devendra Fadnavis Devendra Gangadharrao Fadnavis (Marathi pronunciation: ेवेंद्र फडणवीस born 22 July 1970) is an Indian politician serving as the 9th and current Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra since 30 June 2022. He served as ...
of the BJP as Deputy CM. As a result of the political crisis, Shiv Sena split into two parties, with Shinde's supporters forming
Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena The Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena () is a Hindu nationalist political party in India formed in 2022 under the leadership of Eknath Shinde. It was allotted a new symbol by the Election Commission, separate from the main Shiv Sena. It is now on ...
, and the faction remaining loyal to Thackeray forming
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) is a secular, nationalist Indian political party formed in 2022 under the leadership of Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray. It was allotted a new symbol by the Election Commission, se ...
. As an interim measure, neither party was designated as Shiv Sena's legal successor.


Party structure and caste composition


Structure

The ''ShivsenaPramukh'' (Chief) of the party is the post equivalent to the president of an organisation. This post is an hereditary post.The current ''ShivsenaPramukh'' is
Uddhav Thackeray Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation: d̪ʱːəʋ ʈʰaːkɾeː born 27 July 1960) is an Indian politician who served as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022. He was also the president of Shiv Sena prior to ...
while his son
Aditya Thackeray Aaditya Uddhav Thackeray (born 13 June 1990) is an Indian Politician who served as a Cabinet Minister of Higher Education, Cabinet Minister of Tourism and Environment for the Government of Maharashtra. He is also an MLA of Maharashtra Legis ...
being the crowned ''ShivsenaPramukh''.As the ''Pramukh'' (Chief) of the party, Bal Thackeray took all major decisions while the activists and members of the Shiv Sena ''Shiv Sainiks'' carried out most of the party's grassroots work. During his last days, the day-to-day activities of the party were handled by his youngest son
Uddhav Thackeray Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation: d̪ʱːəʋ ʈʰaːkɾeː born 27 July 1960) is an Indian politician who served as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022. He was also the president of Shiv Sena prior to ...
.
Aditya Thackeray Aaditya Uddhav Thackeray (born 13 June 1990) is an Indian Politician who served as a Cabinet Minister of Higher Education, Cabinet Minister of Tourism and Environment for the Government of Maharashtra. He is also an MLA of Maharashtra Legis ...
, son of
Uddhav Thackeray Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation: d̪ʱːəʋ ʈʰaːkɾeː born 27 July 1960) is an Indian politician who served as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022. He was also the president of Shiv Sena prior to ...
, became the leader of the Yuva Sena, the Youth Wing of the party. After Bal Thackerey's death in 2012, the party was de facto led by
Uddhav Thackeray Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation: d̪ʱːəʋ ʈʰaːkɾeː born 27 July 1960) is an Indian politician who served as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2022. He was also the president of Shiv Sena prior to ...
. The Sena Bhavan located in the
Dadar Dadar (Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connectivity. Dadar holds the distinction of being Mum ...
locality in Mumbai has served as the Headquarters of the Sena since 1976. The Sena's ''shakhas'' (Branches) spread throughout the state of Maharashtra as well as in selected locations in other states, which decide on most of the local issues in their localities. The Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti is affiliated with the Shiv Sena. It advocates the preservation of rights of employment for Maharashtrians in Maharashtra.


Caste composition

People of various Maharashtrian castes worked together in the Sena. The party's leaders mostly came from the so-called "high castes" i.e.
Brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
,
CKP Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) is a caste group mainly found in Maharashtra. Historically, they made equally good warriors, statesmen as well as writers. They held the posts such as Deshpandes and Gadkaris and according to the histor ...
s and
Pathare Prabhus Pathare Prabhu is one of the Hindu communities in the city of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). Introduction The Pathare Prabhus and the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus ( CKPs) are considered sister communities, both being part of the 'Prabhu ...
- Thackerey,
Manohar Joshi Manohar Gaju Joshi (born 2 December 1937) is a prominent politician from the state of Maharashtra. He was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999 and Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2002 to 2004. He is one of the prominent leaders ...
,
Sudhir Joshi Sudhir is an Indian masculine given name. The Sanskrit word ' means "very wise", "resolute". Notable people with the name include: * Sudhir (Pakistani actor) (1922–1997), Pakistani actor *Sudhir (Hindi actor) (1944–2014), Bollywood actor ...
, Balwant Mantri, Dr Hemchandra Gupte, Shyam Deshmukh, Madhav Deshpande, Datta Pradhan, Vijay Parvatkar,
Madhukar Sarpotdar Madhukar Sarpotdar (1936-2010) was a leader of Shiv Sena and a member of Lok Sabha elected from Mumbai North West. He was trade unionist and a member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly The Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha or the Maharashtra Le ...
and Pramod Navalkar. One of the above-mentioned leaders, Dr.Hemchandra Gupte,
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of Bombay in the early 70s and the former family physician and confidante of Thackeray, quit Shivsena in "disgust" citing importance given to money, violence committed by the Shivsainiks and Thackeray's support for Mrs.Gandhi during the 1975 emergency. There were also leaders from other castes such as
Dattaji Salvi Dattaji Salvi (1918-2002) was a leader of Shiv Sena and a trade unionist. He was a member of Maharashtra Legislative Council and was minister of home and labour in the ministry headed by Manohar Joshi Manohar Gaju Joshi (born 2 December 19 ...
,
Dattaji Nalawade Dattaji Nalawade was an Indian politician and leader of Shiv Sena. He was mayor of Mumbai and speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in India. He represented the Worli Vidhan Sabha constituency from 1990 to 2009. He was the Mayor of Mu ...
and
Wamanrao Mahadik Wamanrao Mahdik (1925-1999) was a leader of Shiv Sena. He was the first Shiv Sena member elected to Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. He was elected from Parel constituency in 1969–70 bypoll. He was mayor of Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also k ...
, and those from the so-called lower castes such as Chaggan Bhujbal,
Leeladhar Dake Liladhar Dake is a leader of Shiv Sena. He is a former cabinet minister in Government of Maharashtra . He was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1990 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election, 1990, 1995 Maharashtra Legislative ...
, Bhai Shingre and Vijay Gaonkar. Over the years, other than the Sena Chief, there have been twelve senior leaders in the party, called 'Netas'. Out of these, eight have been upper caste (four
Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...
s, two
CKP Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) is a caste group mainly found in Maharashtra. Historically, they made equally good warriors, statesmen as well as writers. They held the posts such as Deshpandes and Gadkaris and according to the histor ...
s and two
Pathare Prabhu Pathare Prabhu is one of the Hindu communities in the city of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). Introduction The Pathare Prabhus and the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus ( CKPs) are considered sister communities, both being part of the 'Prab ...
s). Others have been either
Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...
(
Dattaji Salvi Dattaji Salvi (1918-2002) was a leader of Shiv Sena and a trade unionist. He was a member of Maharashtra Legislative Council and was minister of home and labour in the ministry headed by Manohar Joshi Manohar Gaju Joshi (born 2 December 19 ...
),
Shimpi Shimpi is an umbrella term for the Indian caste traditionally involved in the business of clothing and tailoring. Saint Namdev of the Bhakti movement is revered as the patron of the community. Occupation The traditional occupation of the commu ...
(
Wamanrao Mahadik Wamanrao Mahdik (1925-1999) was a leader of Shiv Sena. He was the first Shiv Sena member elected to Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. He was elected from Parel constituency in 1969–70 bypoll. He was mayor of Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also k ...
), Agri (
Leeladhar Dake Liladhar Dake is a leader of Shiv Sena. He is a former cabinet minister in Government of Maharashtra . He was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1990 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election, 1990, 1995 Maharashtra Legislative ...
) or
Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
( Chaggan Bhujbal). In fact, Bhujbal quit the party accusing the Sena of upper-caste bias in the leadership. The number of
dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...
s were also not insignificant. And even after the Sena opposed the reservations proposed by the Mandal commission, there was no dent in the percentage of OBCs in the Sena. In this way, the Sena was successful in uniting all Maharashtrians irrespective of caste under the common "Marathi umbrella". The agenda of preferential treatment for the "sons of the soil" i.e. Maharashtrians brought them all together.


Voter base

Shiv Sena's strength in the late 1980s and early '90s mainly came from the support of the
Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...
caste - which it drew away from the Congress. Citing the large percentage of MLAs elected from Shiv Sena belonging to the
Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as ...
caste, Vora from the
University of Pune Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), formerly the University of Poona, is a collegiate public state university located in the city of Pune, India. It was established in 1949, and is spread over a campus in the neighbourhood of Ganeshk ...
concludes that the Shiv Sena has been emerging as a "Maratha Party".


Office

is a building which houses the central office of the Shiv Sena in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is located on Ram Ganesh Gadkari Chowk and Shivaji Park in
Dadar Dadar (Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connectivity. Dadar holds the distinction of being Mum ...
. It was inaugurated on 19 June 1977. The refurbished Sena Bhavan was inaugurated on 27 July 2006. It has a Copper Statue of
Shivaji Maharaj Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adils ...
and a Large Poster of Balasaheb Thackeray. In the 1993 Bombay bombings, a group of terrorists attacked the building as well as a number of other major buildings in the city.


List of Chief Ministers

Following is the list of the Chief Ministers of
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
from Shiv Sena


Shiv Sena ministers in central Government

*
Manohar Joshi Manohar Gaju Joshi (born 2 December 1937) is a prominent politician from the state of Maharashtra. He was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999 and Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2002 to 2004. He is one of the prominent leaders ...
: Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, 13th
Speaker of the Lok Sabha The speaker of the Lok Sabha ( IAST: ) is the presiding officer and the highest official of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. The speaker is elected generally in the first meeting of the Lok Sabha following general e ...
* Anandrao Vithoba Adsul: Ministry of State, Finance and Company Affairs *
Suresh Prabhu Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu (born 11 July 1953) is an Indian politician, India's Sherpa (emissary), Sherpa to the G7 anChancellor of Rishihood University who was the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India), Minister of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Rail ...
:
Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers in India is the federal ministry with administrative purview over three departments namely: *Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals *Department of Fertilizers. *Department of Pharmaceuticals. T ...
, Ministry of Power,
Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises The Ministry of Heavy Industries is an executive agency of the Government of India. The Ministry entails for promoting the engineering industry viz. machine tools, heavy electrical, industrial machinery, and auto industry and administration of ...
*
Anant Geete Anant Gangaram Geete (born 2 June 1951) is an Indian politician and was the Union Cabinet Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Sector Enterprises during 2014 - 2019 in Narendra Modi cabinet. He is also a former Union Cabinet Minister for ...
: Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Minister of Power *
Arvind Sawant Arvind Ganpat Sawant (born 31 December 1951) is an Indian politician from the Shiv Sena party. He had been the Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises since 2019 and a Member of Lok Sabha since 2014. On 11 November 2019, Sawant qui ...
:
Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises The Ministry of Heavy Industries is an executive agency of the Government of India. The Ministry entails for promoting the engineering industry viz. machine tools, heavy electrical, industrial machinery, and auto industry and administration of ...


Electoral performance


Lok Sabha elections


Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha elections


Activities and criticism

The Sena says it has played a central role in the emancipation of 500,000 slum dwellers in the
Dharavi Dharavi is a locality in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, considered to be one of the world's largest slums. Dharavi has an area of just over and a population of about 1,000,000. With a population density of over , Dharavi is one of the most dens ...
area of Mumbai, the largest slum in Asia. However, the policy of giving free houses to slum dwellers has been controversial since it was introduced by the then Shiv Sena-BJP government. In the 1970s, Shiv Sena was opposed to the
Namantar Andolan Namantar Andolan (English: Name Change Movement) was a Dalit and Navayana Buddhist movement to change the name of Marathwada University, in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India, to ''Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar University''. It achieved a measure of succ ...
, a
Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...
-led movement to change the name of Marathwada University in
Aurangabad Aurangabad ( is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Aurangabad district and is the largest city in the Marathwada region. Located on a hilly upland terrain in the Deccan Traps, Aurangabad is the ...
to "Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar University", and supported views of conservative Marathas. In 1996, Shiv Sena organised the first and only live concert of American pop icon
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
in India to raise the funds for its business wing and to help create over two-hundred seventy thousand jobs for people of
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
. In December 2003, Shiv Sena activists damaged the cricket pitch of the Agra Sport Stadium which was supposed to host the cricket match between Pakistan and India. In April 2005, Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, the student wing of Shiv Sena, attempted to prevent the India-Pakistan
One-day international A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World Cup ...
match being held in New Delhi. The protester's spokesman demanded: The Sena acted as a "
moral police Moral police is an umbrella category of vigilante groups which act to enforce a code of morality in India. Some of India's laws, and some actions of police forces in India are also considered to be instances of moral policing. The target of mor ...
" and opposed Valentine's Day celebrations. On 14 February 2006, Bal Thackeray condemned and apologised for the violent attacks by its Shiv Sainiks on a private celebration in Mumbai. "It is said that women were beaten up in the Nallasopara incident. If that really happened, then it is a symbol of cowardice. I have always instructed Shiv Sainiks that in any situation women should not be humiliated and harassed." Thackeray and the Shiv Sena remained opposed to it, although they indicated support for an "Indian alternative". On 20 November 2009, Shiv Sena activists attacked and vandalised the offices of
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
and
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...
TV news channels
IBN7 News18 India is an Indian Media television channel owned by Network 18. It was launched in 2005 as Channel 7 by Jagran Prakashan Limited and acquired in 2006 by Network 18 and rebranded IBN7. In 2016 it took its current name. In 2013, News1 ...
and
IBN-Lokmat News18Lokmat is a 24-hour Marathi-language news channel based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is a joint venture between Network 18 and Lokmat Group the publisher of the newspaper Lokmat. The channel was launched as IBN Lokmat on 6 April 2 ...
, located in Mumbai and
Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
respectively. The Shivsainik slapped IBN7's senior editor Ravindra Ambekar and then attacked IBN-Lokmat's editor Nikhil Wagle. Shiv Sena attributed the attacks to the criticisms of
Bal Thackeray Bal Thackeray (; 23 January 1926 – 17 November 2012), also known as Balasaheb Thackeray, was an Indian politician who founded the Shiv Sena, a right-wing pro- Marathi and Hindu nationalist party active mainly in the state of Maharashtra ...
by the news channel over his remarks on
Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
. Shiv Sena's
Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
MP Sanjay Raut described the attacks as "spontaneous". Shiv Sena spokespersons tried to justify the attacks and refused to apologize for their acts of violence. Shiv Sena got an entry in Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 for "collecting maximum blood in a day". Shiv Sena organized a blood donation camp which collected over 24,000 bottles of blood in a single day. Later this world record was broken by a blood donation camp of
HDFC Bank HDFC Bank Limited (also known as HDB) is an Indian banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai. It is India's largest private sector bank by assets and world's 10th largest bank by market capitalisation . It is the third lar ...
in 2014. On 2 November 2014, during the Kiss of Love protest against moral policing, members of Shiv Sena,
Bajrang Dal The Bajrang Dal () is a Hindu nationalist militant organisation that forms the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). It is a member of the right-wing Sangh Parivar. The ideology of the organisation is based on Hindutva. It was ...
,
Vishwa Hindu Parishad The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) () is an Indian right-wing Hindu organization based on Hindu nationalism. The VHP was founded in 1964 by M. S. Golwalkar and S. S. Apte in collaboration with Swami Chinmayananda. Its stated objective is "t ...
and many other right wing groups opposed and attacked protestors and threatened to strip protestors for kissing on the streets. These opposing groups claimed that
public display of affection Public displays of affection (PDA) are acts of physical intimacy in the view of others. What is an acceptable display of affection varies with respect to culture and context. Some organizations have rules limiting or prohibiting public display ...
is against both Indian culture and the law of the land (under section 294 of the Indian Penal Code), though according to the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court, kissing in public is not a criminal offence. Police took many of the Kiss of Love protestors into custody to save their lives, but were blamed for giving a free hand to counter protestors of the right wing groups. In October 2015, Shiv Sena issued threats which enforced a ban on a scheduled concert by Pakistani classic singer Ghulam Ali. The move was adopted to appease anti-Pakistan constituents to vote for Sena in coming elections. However, in 2015 Pakistan urged the international community to take note of the activities of Shiv Sena, while Shiv Sena claimed that criticism of Shiv Sena by Pakistan vindicates "our patriotism". On 19 October 2015, Shiv Sena activists attacked and vandalised the office of
BCCI The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the worl ...
to stop a meeting between
PCB PCB may refer to: Science and technology * Polychlorinated biphenyl, an organic chlorine compound, now recognized as an environmental toxin and classified as a persistent organic pollutant * Printed circuit board, a board used in electronics * ...
and
BCCI The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the worl ...
officials. The activists shouted anti-Pakistan slogans and held posters that read 'Shahryar Khan go back', determined to stop Manohar from meeting his Pakistani counterpart. Shiv Sena has also threatened to stop Pakistan's Aleem Dar from officiating in the fifth and final ODI between India and South Africa. In 2015 Shiv Sena announced 10,000 rupees help to each drought-affected farmer of
Marathwada Marathwada () is a proposed state and geographical region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It was formed during the Nizam's rule and was part of the then Hyderabad State. The region coincides with the Aurangabad division of Maharashtra. I ...
region, while they also announced 2 lakh rupees "reward" to Hindus family who had 5 children between 2010 and 2015 in
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. As per Shiv Sena, the reason behind the "reward" was "decline in growth rate of Hindu population compared to Muslim population as per recent census". In January 2016, the Shiv Sena demanded that the words “secular” and “socialist” be “permanently removed” from the Constitution's Preamble which were added in the 42nd amendment during the emergency. In April 2019, party member
Sanjay Raut Sanjay Rajaram Raut (Marathi pronunciation: ənd͡ʒəj ɾaːut̪ born 15 November 1961) is an Indian politician from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) party. He is a member of the Parliament of India representing Maharashtra in the Ra ...
called for the burka to be banned. During the 2018 Maharashtra Council election and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, many candidates fielded by Shiv Sena had criminal records or had criminal charges pending against them.


See also

*
List of Hindu nationalist political parties This is a list of political parties professing to follow Hindu nationalism or stating that they represent the interests of Hinduism. Within India National Active *Bharatiya Janata Party *Hindu Mahasabha *Hindu Sena *Hindu Samaj Party Former *A ...


References


Further reading

* ''Ethnicity and Equality: The Shiv Sena Party and Preferential Policies in Bombay'', MF Katzenstein – 1979 – Cornell University Press * ''Warriors in Politics: Hindu Nationalism, Violence, and the Shiv Sena in India'', S Banerjee – 2000 – Westview Press * ''The Charisma of Direct Action: Power, Politics, and the Shiv Sena'', JM Eckert – 2003 – Oxford University Press * ''Shiv Sena: An Assessment'', Palshikar, Suhas, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Pune, Pune (1999) * ''Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found, 'Power', chapter 3, Mumbai'', Mehta, Suketu, Penguin Books (2005)


External links

* {{Authority control Far-right political parties in India Far-right politics in India Political parties established in 1966 1966 establishments in Maharashtra Indian nationalist political parties Hindu nationalism Conservative parties in India Regionalist parties in India Anti-Pakistan sentiment Right-wing populism in India Right-wing populist parties Anti-Islam sentiment in India