Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray will finally get to keep his beard. Having vowed to retain it for life if his party did not regain power, Thackeray has got an opportunity to fulfill the one promise which is not in his poll manifesto.As results trickled in, the tree-lined road to Matoshree— Thackeray’s residence—wore a deserted look. Thackeray and Uddhav were incommunicado. Sainiks had been ordered to keep away. Even those Sena legislators who had won the polls, had postponed celebrations. Fire crackers, garlands and sweets were being sent back.Elected representatives who took the hint, refused to answer their telephones or mobile phones. Eventually, BJP leader Pramod Mahajan had to step in to provide the required sound bytes.In 1999, the Sena had lost seven seats in Mumbai. Pan to this election and the party has lost 28 sitting MLAs, all veterans. Against this, it has won 20 new seats, far lower than what was expected in the belief that Sena had made inroads into Vidarbha and Marathwada.For executive president Uddhav Thackeray, the outcome is a second setback after the LS debacle. Uddhav had handpicked nominees for this election. His aides were even projecting him as the next Chief Minister.Thackeray will now have to publicly fix the responsibility for his party’s failure. Will he sack his son or clip his wings? Senior leaders are mum.
