A diehard disciple of Shiv Sena’s powerhouse in Thane, Anand Dighe, Eknath Shinde rose from the ranks. Once a rickshaw driver, whose skills were honed by Dighe, the leader became a force to reckon with after his mentor’s death. He wears Hindutva, figuratively and literally through a trademark vermilion tilak on his forehead. Not just that, Shinde is popular across parties.

Sena has faced debacles, defections and lost control of certain areas in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, but Shinde has been in total command of the Thane district that has stood with the Sena for several decades. His son Dr Shrikant is a two-time Kalyan Lok Sabha MP. He has served as a minister in the previous BJP-Sena government, and later given the charge of the Urban Development Department in the Thackeray government. No CM in recent history had parted with this important department.