Mumbai, November 17
A big question mark hangs over the Shiv Sena after Bal Thackeray.

As a personality-oriented party, the average Sena worker is simply not prepared to accept another leader in place of the supremo. Even during his lifetime, Thackeray had found it difficult to foist his son Uddhav on to his party workers and loyal Sena voters.

"You have taken care of me. Now please take care of (son) Uddhav and (grandson) Aditya,” was Thackeray's plaintive plea at his last address to the party faithful during the Dasehra rally of the party just a few days ago.

Though he riled against the dynastic politics of the Congress and often poked fun at the Nehru-Gandhi family for foisting their kith and kin on the people of India, Thackeray realised long ago that his Shiv Sena would simply cease to exist without his charisma.

Unlike the Congress which carried periodic exercises of electing its leaders, Bal Thackeray did not even bother to pretend about inner party democracy.

Saheb, as he was known, bluntly told party leaders that he appointed them at his pleasure and he could also dump them if he chose to.

None other than former Chief Minister Manohar Joshi realised how much he was beholden to the supremo for his shot at the big job.

An indiscreet remark made by Joshi to Sharad Pawar about the Sena chief - which the latter made public — forever damaged the relationship between Thackeray and the man he made Chief Minister.

It is another matter that Thackeray plumped for Narayan Rane in order to cut Joshi to size and created a monster that almost devoured the Shiv Sena.

In the post-Bal Thackeray era, the average Shiv Sainik looking for a replacement is expected to turn to Raj Thackeray, the rebellious nephew who broke away to form the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

Raj, who is blessed with his uncle's looks, has also adopted his mannerisms and method of speech and draws huge crowds unlike Uddhav.

Perhaps realising this, Thackeray — in the last few months — had sought a rapprochement with his nephew. Raj Thackeray has been a regular visitor to the Thackeray household ever since Bal Thackeray took ill.