Uddhav's new challenge: Resurrecting Sena's old glory

Weathering storms like Covid-19 and leading an unlikely coalition in Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray has come a long way in the past two and half years. He now faces a much bigger challenge — to resurrect the Shiv Sena that his charismatic late father Balasaheb Thackeray founded on 19 June, 1966.

Once known for his soft image, 61-year-old Uddhav has emerged as a tough leader who could openly challenge the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo.

Breaking three-decade-old relations with the BJP in October 2019, Thackeray stitched up Maha Vikas Aghadi on the advice of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and took over as Maharashtra CM on November 28, 2019.

However, the marquee anti-BJP coalition did not work well, as BJP constantly mounted pressure on him and fuelled rebellion in Shiv Sena, helped by leaders like Thane strongman Eknath Shinde.

Also read: Uddhav resigns as CM, MVA crumbles; BJP-Eknath Shinde group set to stake claim

As the Shiv Sena president or 'Shiv Sena pramukh', he is quite balanced and has an extremely modern and professional approach. He is often seen carrying a tab that has all details at his fingertips.

Uddhav was born on July 27, 1960 to Balasaheb and the late Meenatai, after brothers Bindumadhav or Binda and Jaidev. He was named 'Dinga' by his uncle, late Shrikant Thackeray, the father of his cousin Raj Thackeray. In fact, Uddhav's mother Meenatai and Raj's mother Kunda are sisters. His aunt named him 'Shravanbal', an ideal son, as he was the most obedient among the siblings.

In the nineties, particularly between 1995-99 when the erstwhile Shiv Sena-BJP government was in power, Uddhav and Raj accompanied Balasaheb at public functions.

In 2003, at the party's conclave in the hill town of Mahabaleshwar, it was Raj who proposed Uddhav's name as the executive president of the party. Balasaheb was then 76. Slowly, he started taking over the functioning of the party at the instance of his father.

A major miss for Uddhav was that he couldn't keep his cousin Raj in the party fold as the latter rebelled and floated Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

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In 2014, the Shiv Sena and BJP contested against each other but came to form the government after the polls. But Uddhav was always assertive and continued to target Modi-Shah even while being in alliance.

When in December 2014, the BJP-Sena government started off, he shared excellent relations with CM Devendra Fadnavis but after the tussle for the top job, their relations soured.

During the 2019 polls and the last annual Dassera rally, he made it public that a Shiv Sainik would be the next CM. And now a rebellion has taken away his chair.

He has come out with two photo books - Maharashtra Desh (2010) and Pahava Vitthal (2011). His expertise is in aerial photography and wildlife photography.

Uddhav is married to Rashmi and has two sons Aditya, an MLA from Worli and minister, and Tejas, a wildlife enthusiast and conservationist.