Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray had a special love and affection for Thane

THANE: Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray who passed away in Mumbai on Saturday, had a special love and affection for Thane city, which gave his party a political fillip in the mid-1960s, when it had just been established.

He was extremely overwhelmed by the tremendous support given by Thane-ites by returning the Sena to power in 1967. It was only after capturing power in the Thane civic council, that the Sena sucessfully made inroads into other civic bodies like Mumbai and Nashik.

At a victory rally after the Sena's victory in 1967 elections, the late Sena supremo had declared that he was ensuring the construction of Dadaji Kondeo stadium and the Ram Ganesh Gadkari auditorium.

He minutely monitored happenings in Thane and any comment by citizens in the form of letters to the editor or news reports. He took to task office bearers in the civic body and ensured that the civic work were completed.

He loved to come to Thane and during his visit for the last civic elections, he prostrated before the audience and begged them to return the Sena-BJP combine to power.

After formation of the Thane Municipal Corporation, he handpicked its first directly elected president, Satish Chandra Pradhan, as its first mayor and told Thane-ites that he would go to any extent to satisfy their needs.


ET Special: Bal Thackeray's life and times from Times of India archives

It became clear that the late supremo had meant what he said when Thane civic commissioner T Chandrashekar was given a free hand to work for the city's development, without entertaining complaints by his own partymen against the official.

The late supremo had ensured that the clock at Tembi Naka clock tower was repaired when Thane's citizens had the privilege to communicate directly with him.

The late Shiv Sainik Anand Dighe was his blue-eyed boy and the late supremo achieved whatever he wanted in the city through Dighe.

When the Sena was in a fix over coming to power in the Thane during the last civic elections, he expressed his wish that the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by his nephew Raj Thackeray should support the Shiv Sena -- a wish which was fulfilled, bringing the Sena back to power.

A senior leader Uddhav Jagtap, who was Thane's first Shiv Sena leader and was honoured by the late supremo said that Balasaheb's death is an irreparable loss to Sainiks at a time when he was needed the most.