24x7 nightlife and more: The new hip Shiv Sena under Aditya Thackeray

Once, they were known as the agents of moral policing in Mumbai. Come Valentine’s Day, the party in Maharashtra would take out processions and openly threaten restaurants and mall owners against organizing any event. So, when Aditya Thackeray, the 24-year-old Sainik promises to bring a 24x7 nightlife in Mumbai if the party comes to power, you can’t help but be surprised.

Last year, Thackeray had made a proposal to the BMC to ease restrictions under the Shops and Establishments Act and allow restaurants to remain open 24X7.

And now, Aditya is trying to woo voters of Colaba, Malabar Hill, Bandra and Andheri by promising a ‘safe and vibrant night-out culture in Mumbai just like in New York and London,’ reports Mumbai Mirror.

As we put our hopes on a better nightlife in the city, here’s a look at why Shiv Sena may turn hip under this young leader.

The nach-gaana guy

There is no doubt that the Shiv Sena leader clearly loves nach-gaana. Campaigning for party candidate Arvind Dudhwadkar in Malabar Hill on Wednesday, Thackeray discussed ideas for reviving nightlife. Young Thackeray has also often been spotted with the Bollywood stars–  Anushka Sharma at the Mumbai airport , with Hrithik Roshan at Dino Morea’s fitness club launch and with Akshay Kumar at the launch of a self defence class for women among others.

The Michael Jackson fan

Thackeray is a self-confessed Michael Jackson ‘devotee’ who also boasts about sitting on his lap when the popstar came to his Bandra house in 1996.  He once told  DNA that he couldn’t eat for a whole day after the news of Michael Jackson’s death.

According to reports, the Shiv Sena leader’s iPod is full of MJ songs. In fact, his caller tune has also been an MJ song since the day the singer died in 2009.

The WhatsApp geek and the Twitteratti

The new hip Shiv Sena is also winning big on social media under Aditya Thackeray. The BJP, which was immensely successful in creating an anti-Congress wave in the Lok Sabha elections, are now reportedly fumbling with Shiv Sena taking the lead on social media in the state assembly election, thanks to Thackeray.

The 24-year-old is very active on Twitter and in fact he was the one who first responded on Twitter when BJP declared publicly that it was breaking its alliance with the Sena.

Advocate Mahendra Sandhansiv, who is also a social media observer, told DNA that the Shiv Sena is using anti-Modi morphed photos and texts to distort his image on social media. Given the popularity of Prime Minister Modi, that is a difficult task. But, the Shiv Sainiks are clearly doing something right.

Thackeray is also responsible for another big change. The Sena always sent political messages out through its strong local network of Shakhas spread across the state. But Aditya has changed that—he now sends messages and details of party meet on WhatsApp and Twitter, reports Economic Times.

The cricketer

An Indian Express report noted that the Shiv Sena have made the maidans that host Mumbai cricket’s iconic Kanga League in Shivaji Park the ideal pitch to make its play for the assembly elections. According to the report, many cricketers and club officials have received requests on the field, urging them to vote for the party in the upcoming polls.

Thackeray also told Indian Express that improving sporting infrastructure will be his top priority. “Having been a cricketer, I also support football, hockey, squash and many other sports. Through the government, it has been and will be my priority to take sporting infrastructure to talented (sportspersons),” he told Express.