Mumbai, November 17
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, who had been critically ill for the past several days, was pronounced dead today afternoon.

The 86-year-old cartoonist turned politician, known for his strong views and speaking his mind, sometimes bordering on the offensive, breathed his last at 3.33 pm at his residence 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra. He is survived by sons Uddhav and Jaidev and grandchildren. He lost his wife Meenatai and eldest son Bindumadhav in tragic circumstances in the 1990s.

Dr Jaleel Parkar from Lilavati Hospital, who was part of a team of senior doctors attending on him, made the announcement of Thackeray's demise before the crowd at Matoshree, the residence of the Shiv Sena leader. “He suffered a cardio-respiratory arrest. We could not revive him despite our best efforts. He breathed his last at 3.33 pm,” he said.

He went on to say that the Sena supremo was suffering from pancreatic and respiratory problems for a while. Thackeray's medical team was overseen by doctor and Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Sawant.

Party sources said Thackeray slipped into coma earlier this week and never regained full consciousness. However, his vital parameters which deteriorated on the night of November 13 showed improvement the following day and he was removed from life-support, party spokesman Sanjay Raut had said earlier. The Sena chief was continuously receiving oxygen as he suffered from respiratory failure.

This afternoon, senior party leader and former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi told the gathering outside Matoshree that Thackeray was making “slow progress”. His body language indicated the tough battle the veteran leader was waging against the inevitable.

The stress of the circumstances also began to tell on his son Uddhav, who underwent a second angioplasty just a few weeks ago. Uddhav skipped a meeting called to brief the party's corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation earlier this morning. Those who attended the event said Uddhav was by his father's side.

As per the tentative programme announced by the Shiv Sena, the mortal remains of their leader will be kept for public viewing at the Shiv Sena Bhavan, the party headquarters, on Saturday. The body will be shifted to Shivaji Park, the venue where Thackeray founded the party and where he held numerous political rallies, on Sunday morning. The cremation is scheduled for 3.30 pm on Sunday.

Thousands of Shiv Sena activists began congregating outside Thackeray's house as news of his death filtered in. The entire stretch of the Western Express Highway from Bandra to Kalanagar, where Matoshree is located, was packed with people, but traffic continued to flow.

Security has been stepped up in the metropolis in the wake of Thackeray's death. Shiv Sena leaders have asked people to remain calm and not indulge in violence. However, shops and business establishments voluntarily downed shutters. Private transport also began moving off the roads.