Bal Thackeray: News

Bal Keshav Thackeray, born on January 23, 1926, in Pune, was the founder and life-long Pramukh (chief) of the political party Shiv Sena and was a key figure in Indian politics. Like his father, Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, who took part in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement demanding the creation of a Maratha State, Thackeray was a Marathi nativist vocal about the issues affecting a common Marathi man. He was initially a cartoonist and worked with the 'Free Press Journal', 'Times of India', and later his own cartoon weekly 'Marmik'. He founded the political outfit, Shiv Sena, in 1966 for representing the Maratha interests against that of immigrants from other states in Maharashtra. He launched the Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', a Marathi daily, in 1988 in counter to the hostile press and for communicating the party's message. Thackeray led the Shiv Sena to victory in the 1995 Maharashtra Assembly elections in alliance with the BJP. Though he never contested any elections, he is thought to have pulled strings from behind in his party's political formations and functioning. Thackeray was known for his controversial statements and was often held responsible for Shiv Sena's violent demeanor. He passed away in 2012 at the age of 86 in Mumbai.