A leader who redefined Maharashtrian politics

On November 17, 2012, Mumbai held its breath as a leader who dominated state politics for several decades, quietly breathed his last. A man who commanded an equal number of critics and followers, Bal Keshav Thackeray (or Balasaheb Thackeray) was the founder of the Shiv Sena, a force that rewrote political rules in Maharashtra.

Born in Pune in 1926, Thackeray began his career as a cartoonist. His early sketches at the Free Press Journal mocked elites and outsiders. His cartoons also featured in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and the Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese daily newspaper. By the 1960s, he launched his own weekly, Marmik, and also got involved in politics. The Marathi journal became the voice of Marathi-speaking Maharashtrians who felt ‘pushed aside’ in their own city. It almost became a campaign against immigrants who were seen to be taking away all the top jobs in Mumbai.

In 1966, Bal Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena, a party which would soon become a formidable force in India’s regional politics. Through the slogan “Maharashtra for Maharashtrians”, Thackeray tapped into the anger, identity and aspirations of residents. Interestingly, despite his massive following and influence, he never held a formal post nor ran for elective office. Yet, he successfully controlled the party, state politics as well as the municipal machinery of Mumbai.

Under his leadership, Shiv Sena also advocated for the adoption of Hinduism as the country’s official religion. When the party gained political control of Maharashtra in the 1990s, Thackeray had Bombay renamed Mumbai in the name of Goddess Mumbadevi.

His supporters fondly called him Hindu Hridaysamrat (Emperor of the Hindu Heart). However, as he drew a clear distinction between insiders and outsiders and Marathi vs non-Marathi people, many critics view him as chauvinistic.

Then came the anti-Muslim riots in 1992-93, which marked the most controversial part of his life and legacy. The Justice BN Srikrishna Commission, which was formed to investigate the violence, named Thackeray and the Shiv Sena for instigating retaliatory attacks during the riots.

Several cases were filed against him under sections related to promoting enmity and incitement. However, courts cited a lack of evidence, procedural lapses and the withdrawal of cases for acquittals. In 2000, a key case against him was formally dropped after the government withdrew prosecution.

For supporters, Thackeray remained a defender of Marathi and Hindu identity; for critics, his absolution raised questions about political influence over justice. His base trusted him because he seemed like one of them, speaking their language and promising to protect their rights. As leaders pay tributes, his legacy seems both towering and scattered. The man who once commanded Mumbai’s political pulse left behind a Shiv Sena that is now splintered into factions. His imprint on Maharashtra’s politics is undeniable. At the same time, the party divisions that followed his passing reveal how difficult it is to preserve a legacy amid a struggle for power.