Shiv Sena's Six-Decade Journey Now Defined by Perpetual Leadership Battles and Rebellions

As Shiv Sena completes 60 years since its founding on June 19, 1966, the party finds itself confronting another major internal crisis. Fresh reports suggest that six of the nine Lok Sabha MPs belonging to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) faction are likely to break away and align with the Eknath Shinde camp, adding another chapter to the party's history of leadership struggles and political realignments.

Founded by Bal Thackeray as a regional movement championing the rights of Marathi-speaking people in Mumbai and Maharashtra, Shiv Sena gradually evolved into one of the state's most influential political parties. Over the decades, it expanded its agenda beyond regional identity, emerged as a key player in state politics and forged alliances that helped shape Maharashtra's political landscape. After Bal Thackeray's death, leadership of the party passed to his son, Uddhav Thackeray.

The party's biggest setback came in 2022 when senior leader Eknath Shinde led a rebellion that split the organisation and eventually secured recognition of his faction as the official Shiv Sena, along with its iconic bow-and-arrow election symbol. The split dramatically altered Maharashtra's political equations and weakened the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction, which continued to function under the Shiv Sena (UBT) banner.

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Now, just four years after that rebellion, another possible split appears to be unfolding, with reports indicating that six MPs from the Uddhav camp may join the Shinde-led faction. If the move materialises, it would further reshape the balance of power within the party and strengthen the Shinde camp's position at the national level.

From its origins as a Mumbai-centric movement to becoming a dominant force in Maharashtra politics, Shiv Sena's six-decade journey has been marked by rapid growth, leadership transitions, changing alliances and repeated internal revolts. As the party marks its 60th anniversary, the latest political developments underscore the continuing challenges to its unity and evolving identity.

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