Shiv Sena Celebrates 60 Years Amid Existential Crisis and Strained Relations with BJP

Both factions of the Shiv Sena are celebrating 60 years of the party on Friday (June 19). However, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction is facing an existential crisis, the Eknath Shinde-led faction is struggling to retain its importance in an era dominated by the BJP. Once a strong ally of the BJP for 25 years, the undivided Shiv Sena was almost in the role of a'big brother'within the alliance in Maharashtra, but the power equation has changed since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014. The alliance between the two parties broke down just before the 2014 assembly elections. Less than four months later, they came together again, but their relationship has never been the same; they were always tense and it seemed as if they could part ways at any time. Similar was the case in 2019, when the Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP-led NDA over the chief minister's post. After this separation, the party did not split into two factions.