The MNS president Raj Thackeray is eyeing a major role to play after the Assembly elections. His recent decisions, first to field his son Amit from Mahim constituency and not to field a candidate against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, are both indicative of the fact that he is playing his cards very carefully this time around.
Thackeray had declared complete support to PM Narendra Modi and lent an unconditional support to the BJP during Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. He had to face sharp criticism from his cousin Uddhav Thackeray for the feat. Yet he remained firm on his decision. However, he surprised everybody when he announced that he shall go solo in the state assembly elections and shall try to field candidates from all the 288 constituencies.
He has also suffered politically due to such inconsistencies. Yet, the journey is a testament to his commitment to regionalism and the promotion of Marathi identity. While his methods and rhetoric have often sparked controversy, his influence in Maharashtra’s politics is undeniable. Thackeray continues to shape the political discourse in the state, advocating for the rights and interests of the Marathi-speaking population.
Born as Swararaj Shrikant Thackeray on June 14, 1968, the nephew of Bal Thackeray, the founder of Shiv Sena, picked up his oratory, style, organisational skills and the witty nature of a cartoonist. He began his political journey in the Shiv Sena when he founded the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena (BVS), the party’s student wing, in the late 1980’s.
Due to his impressive role in the 1990 Assembly elections, political analysts started seeing the hair apparat for the Shiv Sena in him. However, soon cousin Uddhav too joined the politics and gained prominence in the party. Tensions grew between the cousins leading to Raj’s resignation from Shiv Sena in 2005.
In March 2006, Thackeray launched the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a regional party focused on advocating for the rights and interests of the Marathi-speaking population. The MNS quickly gained attention for its aggressive stance on issues such as the influx of migrants from other Indian states, which Raj argued was diluting the cultural identity of Maharashtra. The party’s 2008 anti-North Indian campaign, where MNS activists targeted migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, led to widespread violence and arrests of party workers. But, this time he was briefly detained and then released on bail. His popularity skyrocketed and his party began protests demanding that business signboards in Mumbai be written in Marathi, reflecting his commitment to promoting the Marathi language and culture. As a result, the party bagged 13 assembly seats in 2009. He also got good foothold in local bodies of Pune, Nashik and Mumbai. However, he failed to keep the momentum.
Thackeray’s charismatic oratory and strong regionalist stance still holds a good chunk of support base for him. It now needs to be seen whether this base helps him to fulfil his dream to become a Kingmaker.
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