Shiv Sena (translation; Army of Shivaji), also known by the name Sena, is an Indian far-right regional political party. Its ideology is based on pro-Marathi ideology and Hindu nationalism (Hindutva), founded on 19 June 1966 by Bal Thackeray.The Sena's ideology is based on the concepts of 'Bhumiputra' (Marathi for "Sons of the Soil") and Hindutva or Hindu nationalism. The 'Bhumiputra' ideology refers to the Shiv Sena's belief that Maharashtrians deserve more rights in Maharashtra than those who are not from Maharashtra.The symbol of Shiv Sena was stamped as tiger. The reason for this is that tiger is the 'vahan' of the deity Bhavani Mata. Also, tiger symbolizes aggression. This was done to produce a spark in Marathi people for their love of the Maharashtra. Their motivation became the roar of the tiger. So, the symbol of Shiv Sena became tiger.
However, Bombay being the economic capital of India attracted people from various regions for job opportunities. Especially, people from Bihar and South India started flocking to the city in large numbers.The party is active on the political front and reportedly has a huge presence and following in Mumbai. The employment faction of Shiv Sena is known as Shiv Udyog Sena. Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (Indian Worker's Army), a labor union supporting mostly lower-income worker class communities, is allegedly affiliated to the Shiv Sena. The youth wing of Shiv Sena is known as the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena (All India Students' Army).His party advocated the end of India’s constitutional status as a secular state and the adoption of Hinduism as the country’s official religion. Such was Thackeray’s power that when the Shiv Sena gained political control of Maharashtra in the 1990s, he had Bombay renamed Mumbai for the goddess Mumbadevi—the name by which the city is known in the Marathi language—and when Thackeray was satirized by novelist Salman Rushdie in The Moor’s Last Sigh (1995), the book was immediately banned in Maharashtra.
Presently, after the death of Bal Thackeray in 2012, his son Udhav Thackeray has taken over as the head of the Shiv Sena, as its Karyapramukh (Chief). His son Aditya Thackeray is the youth leader of the party. Though the party suffered a split in 2005 when Bal Thackeray’s nephew Raj Thackeray broke away from the party to create his own political faction, the Shiv Sena has retained its stronghold in Mumbai and the interiors of Maharashtra, with its strong regional and ethnic appeal.Some two million people had attended his funeral ceremony, which was broadcast live on national TV channels.
Often dubbed a chauvinistic, fascist and extremist political party, Shiv Sena currently has 18 out of 545 seats in Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament), just three out of 245 in the Upper House of the Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and 63 out of 288 seats in the local Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra.
Aims of Shiv Sena
1. Progress and Development of Maharashtra
2. To maintain the cultural heritage and prosperity of Maharashtra.
3. To preserve respect for the Marathi Manus
4. To spread Marathi culture.
5. Provide job opportunities to Marathi people.
6. Eradicate poverty and unemployment
7. To stop non-Marathi population migration into Maharashtra
8. To preserve historical monuments and forts of Maharashtra
Address and contact details
Official Website of Shiv Sena: http://www.shivsena.org
Head-Office Address of Shiv Sena: Shivsena Bhavan, Ram Ganesh Gadkari Chowk, Shivaji Park, Dadar West, Mumbai 400 028
Contact numbers: 022-04371199
Email id: contact@shivsena.org