BJP Trumps Thackeray's Sena

The tables have turned on the original harbingers of communal politics in Maharashtra

- Shweta Desai

FOR decades, Vile Parle, a once-quiet Mumbai suburb, was defined by the iconic Parle biscuit factory. Its identity lingered in the air, a sweet, unmistakable aroma of freshly baked biscuits. But during the 1987 by-election to the Vile Parle assembly constituency, the aroma was overshadowed by the pungent odour of overtly communal politics. During those polls, a banner proclaiming “Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain” (Say with pride, we are Hindus) was raised, marking a startling departure from constitutional sanctity during campaigning.

Bal Thackeray, by then hailed as Hindu Hridaysamrat, earned this grandiose title amid allegations of the Shiv Sena’s role in sparking the 1984 Hindu-Muslim riots in Bhiwandi, which claimed 288 lives. During the 1987 by-polls, the communally charged Shiv Sena was still an unrecognised political outfit and did not even have an official election symbol to back its Vile Parle candidate Dr Ramesh Prabhu. But it did have a communal ace up its sleeve to bolster Prabhu’s campaign.

The 1987 polls marked a turning point in Indian politics, unveiling the growing frenzy of right-wing ideology. Thackeray’s incendiary tactics, urging Hindus to vote on communal lines, secured Prabhu a resounding victory, but cost the Sena chief a six-year ban for violating Election Commission rules. The win underscored Hindutva’s potent appeal, striking a chord with disenchanted Hindus, in the aftermath of the Bhiwandi riots.

Around that time, the newly minted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), seeking a foothold in Maharashtra, solidified ties with the Sena. By 1989, their formal alliance ushered in the “saffron era,” dominating civic, state and national elections and reshaping the political landscape. “The BJP was politically insignificant when Bal Thackeray’s aggressive Hindutva was at its peak,” notes Radheshyam Jadhav, author of