The Shiv Sena is a political party in India, primarily active in Maharashtra, that was founded by Bal Thackeray on June 19, 1966. It originated as a nativist movement to address the perceived threat of migrants from other parts of India, particularly South India and Gujarat, taking jobs from local Maharashtrians, with the slogan "Maharashtra for Maharashtrians". The party's initial focus was on Marathi regionalism and the "sons of the soil" doctrine.
Over time, the party's ideology shifted, especially after allying with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the late 1980s, to embrace a broader Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) agenda, moving from regional exclusivity to a right-wing, anti-Muslim stance. This connects it to the larger concept of identity politics in India, where regional and religious identities are mobilized for political power.
The party underwent a significant change in June 2022 when a major split occurred, led by senior leader Eknath Shinde, who disagreed with Uddhav Thackeray's decision to continue the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition with the Indian National Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. The split led to the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government and the formation of a new government with the BJP, led by Eknath Shinde. The Election Commission of India (ECI) intervened in the dispute over the party's name and symbol. On February 17, 2023, the ECI recognized the faction led by Eknath Shinde as the legitimate Shiv Sena, awarding it the original party name and the iconic "bow and arrow" symbol. The ECI's decision was based on the legislative majority of the Shinde faction. The faction led by Uddhav Thackeray was subsequently named Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and was allotted the "flaming torch" (mashaal) symbol. The legal battle over the split is connected to the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with anti-defection, and the powers of the Speaker and Governor.