Mumbai: The Tiger party has changed its stripes and everyone can see that. The Shiv Sena has never been known to be a cool customer. But its calm and collected demeanour in recent times is one for the copybooks.
And credit for this goes to party chief Uddhav Thackeray, the architect of this revamped outlook. In this task, he has been ably assisted by his think tank, thereby enabling him to play his political masterstroke.
"Uddhav Thackeray is a spin bowler, not a seamer. He may not be able to spin the ball on every pitch. But this pitch was a favourable one and he has succeeded in getting the ball to spin," said a highly placed source in the Sena.
"The credit for this masterstroke goes to Uddhav. He has matured and evolved as a master strategist," according to senior journalist and author Sachin Parab.
"Uddhav was always against aligning with the BJP. He had opposed the alliance with them since 1989 - when the saffron alliance came into existence. But he waited for the right time and stumped them," said Parab.
After Uddhav was made president of the party, he brought changes in the Sena. The party, which was earlier infamous for its lumpen reputation, has slowly transformed into a quieter, mature organisation with educated leaders.
He took the initiative to connect Hindi-speaking people with the Sena. When he realised that the Dalits did not vote for the party due to its Hindutva image, he coined the slogan, Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti.
He struck up an alliance with Ramdas Athwale to this end. His effort paid off, with an increased electoral haul for the Sena in 2014. The party won 63 seats on its own.
"In the run-up to the Lok Sabha election, the BJP promised him the post of CM and he acceded to their request. He was hurt when post-Lok Sabha elections, all that the BJP offered the Sena was the heavy industry ministry.
But he kept quiet and bided his time. He used the strength of BJP in this election and is now teaching them a lesson," Parab said.
Uddhav always asks himself what his late father and party founder BalThackeray would have done in a given situation and accordingly prepares his strategy, said a senior leader in the Sena.
Then comes the party's think tank, which plays a key role. His family is the first layer of the think tank. Rashmi, his wife, is very ambitious and keeps herself updated on political goings-on.
She is his main adviser. She played a key role in deciding that Aaditya should break with the family tradition and contest election. She wants the CM post for Sena. Aaditya and Tejas, Uddhav's sons are also keen politicos and have their father's ear.
Sena leaders Subhash Desai, Anil Parab, Anil Desai and Milind Narvekar are the other key members of the think tank.
Desai is the senior-most Sena leader who is active in politics. Though Leeladhar Dhake and Manohar Joshi are senior to Desai, they are not politically active now.
Subhash Desai, having worked with Bal Thackeray, knew the latter's style of thinking and working. He is considered a stalwart organiser. When in 1985,
Sena decided to spread its wings in Maharashtra, he had played a key role in organising a Bhagwa Saptah (saffron week) to establish and strengthen the Sena in the state. During the assembly polls, he was the main interlocutor with the BJP.
Anil Parab holds a doctorate in law and is considered a family member by the Thackerays. His forte is his mastery of electoral politics and strategy.
Sanjay Raut is not just the executive editor of the party mouthpiece Saamna, but is also a close confidant of the Thackerays. He too has worked with Balasaheb and is now working with Uddhav. He has been articulating Uddhav's opposition to the BJP through Saamna and other media.
Anil Desai is the party secretary, along with Narvekar and Vinayak Raut. But he is the most important of the trio. It is through him that Uddhav's messages are relayed.
Desai is the sophisticated upper-middle class face of the Sena, who has risen from the rank and file of the party. He is the bridge between the Sena and the corporate sector.
Milind Narvekar works closely with Uddhav. He has played a key role in various tactical moves. But Uddhav relies upon him only for inputs and not for advice, a source said.
