Bal Thackeray 5th death anniversary: Uddhav Thackeray, Devendra Fadnavis to share stage to pay respects to late Shiv Sena founder

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are expected to come together on Friday to pay their respects to Bala Saheb Thackeray – the charismatic and polarising leader of Maharashtra.

According to reports, Maharashtra CM is expected to attend an event at the Shivaji Park to commemorate the fifth death anniversary of the late Shiv Sena supremo.

Fadnavis took to Twitter to pay his tribute to the iconic leader of the Maharashtra, whose death five years back shook the entire nation.

आमचे मार्गदर्शक शिवसेनाप्रमुख माननीय बाळासाहेब ठाकरे यांना स्मृतिदिनानिमित्त विनम्र अभिवादन ! pic.twitter.com/TO7W9o7zEh — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) November 17, 2017

Thousands of people today thronged the Shivaji Park to pay their tributes to the iconic leader, who died on 17 November 2012. 

Bala Saheb founded Shiv Sena - a right-wing organization - that is known for championing the causes of Hindus and has its presence felt more prominently in Maharashtra and in other states. 

Uddhav Thackeray, the present leader of the party, is also likely to address a vast gathering of supporters on the occasion.

Bal Thackeray was born on 23 January 1926, and worked as a cartoonist for the English news company The Free Press Journal until he left and created his own politically oriented newspaper Marmik.

Bal Thackeray formed Shiv Sena because he was more concerned about the well-fare of Maharashtrians and their rights. Thackeray was the man who created a Marathi votebank in Mumbai and its surrounding regions.

He was a controversial figure in the political landscape because of his blatant hatred of Muslims and his approval of Adolph Hitler's actions. 

Nonetheless, he was very respected in his community and had great oratory prowess through which he used to move and convince his audience.

Bal Thackeray was succeeded by his three sons, Bindumadhav Thackeray, Jaidev Thackeray
Uddhav Thackeray. 

He was the only leader after George Fernandes who could bring Mumbai to a standstill with a single command.

Thackeray is credited with engineering the first non-Congress government in Maharashtra. 

At a time when the Congress dominated the political scene in Maharashtra, his ‘son of the soil’ agenda - later taken up by various regional political parties, including his nephew Raj Thackeray - swayed locals and won votes.

Never known to mince words, Thackeray once famously described himself as the man who has the “remote control” of the first Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party government in Maharashtra, in 1995.

The firebrand leader stirred up several controversies during his public life.