THE SHIV SENA STORY

The party has a history of aligning with the Congress, but way back in the 1970s. Its Hindutva drift started only in the ’80s and its cadre played a dubious role in the 1992-93 Mumbai riots

1 JUNE 19, 1966

Political cartoonist Bal Thackeray launches the Shiv Sena to champion the cause of Maharashtrians with a rally at Shivaji Park, Dadar. Party targets ‘outsiders’, including South Indians, in Mumbai

2 1971

Sena allies with the Congress (O) faction opposed to Indira Gandhi in the Lok Sabha poll. All three Sena candidates lose. The party makes inroads in Leftcontrolled labour unions

3 1975

Thackeray supports imposition of Emergency. Backs Congress (I) in the 1977 Lok Sabha and the 1980 Maharashtra assembly election

4 1984

Sena and BJP tie up for the general election. Amid a Congress wave, both Sena candidates, contesting on the BJP symbol, lose. Sena’s Hindutva drift begins

5 1990

Sena and BJP emerge as principal opposition parties, displacing the PWP and the Janata Party factions

6 DEC. 1992-JAN. 1993

Two phases of rioting in Bombay after the Babri Masjid demolition. Justice Srikrishna Commission in 1996 blames Sena leaders for instigating riots and targeting Muslims

7 1995

Sena-BJP sweep aside Sharad Pawar’s Congress-led regime in the polls to form a coalition government. Manohar Joshi is first Sena-BJP CM

8 1999

Sena-BJP fail to get majority in the assembly poll. Congress ties up with Pawar’s NCP splinter group to form a government

9 2003

Bal Thackeray appoints son Uddhav as party working president to the dismay of nephew Raj Thackeray

10 2004-2009

Sena-BJP alliance fails to dislodge the Congress-NCP government. Raj breaks away in 2005 to form the MNS in 2006. Sena-BJP fail to oust Congress-NCP again in 2009

11 2012

Bal Thackeray passes away. Sena comes firmly under Uddhav

12 2014

The BJP breaks away from the Sena to contest assembly polls on its own, emerges as the single-largest party. Devendra Fadnavis is appointed CM and is briefly supported by the NCP. Sena returns to the alliance

13 OCT. 21, 2019

Sena-BJP jointly fight assembly election. The BJP emerges as the single-largest party with 105 seats, but the Sena, with 56 seats, asks for rotation of the CM’s post. BJP refuses. Sena sets up Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi with the Congress and NCP, with Uddhav as leader. After a short-lived Fadnavis government, the decks are cleared for Uddhav to be the first Thackeray CM