Sanjay Nirupam’s second stint in Shiv Sena: A look at his dramatic political trajectory

After spending a decade with the Shiv Sena, Nirupam had proven himself to be a skilled orator and established himself as a prominent north Indian face among Mumbai politicians

Thirty-two years ago, in 1992, Sanjay Nirupam used to sit in the Express Towers at Mumbai’s Nariman Point, editing a weekly Hindi magazine named Sabrang. After the communal riots following the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, the Shiv Sena decided to reach out to the Hindi-speaking population of Mumbai with the aim of expanding beyond Maharashtra. A Hindi edition of the party’s Marathi mouthpiece Saamana was proposed for this purpose. After searching for an editor willing to accept and propagate Shiv Sena’s militant Hindutva ideology, Marathi Saamna’s Executive Editor Sanjay Raut and Uddhav Thackeray zeroed in on Sanjay Nirupam. Once approved by the party supremo Bal Thackeray, Nirupam was appointed as the Executive Editor of the paper, named “Dopahar Ka Saamna.” The Hindi tabloid was launched by veteran film actor Dev Anand in February 1993, who happened to be a close friend of Bal Thackeray.

Although Nirupam joined the Shiv Sena mouthpiece as a journalist, the party gave him tasks beyond his editorial brief. Nirupam was asked not only to build support for Shiv Sena among the north Indian residents of Mumbai but also to establish organizational networks in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He initiated a weekly feature in the tabloid titled “Khula Manch,” where Bal Thackeray answered questions from Hindi-speaking readers. Through his answers, Thackeray conveyed that Shiv Sena was not just a party of Maharashtrians but of all Hindus, irrespective of their language. Nirupam was made the “Sampark Pramukh” (Contact Chief) of Shiv Sena for the north Indian states. In 1996, Nirupam organized the “Uttar Bharteeya Mahasammelan,” a gathering of north Indians addressed by Bal Thackeray. With his sharp and aggressive editorials and political acumen, Nirupam proved himself to be the person Shiv Sena was looking for.

As a politician, Nirupam’s career skyrocketed within the Shiv Sena. His nomination for the Rajya Sabha shocked everyone in the political corridors. Even Sanjay Raut, who had joined eight months earlier in July 1992, was not considered for the Rajya Sabha. As a parliamentarian, Nirupam aggressively represented his party and even stirred controversy within the BJP, Shiv Sena’s alliance partner, by making several allegations against Pramod Mahajan and criticizing him in the Hindi Saamna. Nirupam had the tacit support of Bal Thackeray, who pretended to reprimand him in front of Mahajan when he rushed to Matosri lamenting about Nirupam. Thackeray appointed him as one of the “Upnetas,” the top strata of the party after the supremo.

The rapid rise of a Bihari in the Shiv Sena led to jealousy within the party and generated hidden enemies for Nirupam. The rapport he enjoyed with Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut began to fade away. Moreover, Nirupam was criticized by members of the north Indian community when Raj Thackeray’s men attacked railway job aspirants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at the Kalyan railway station. Nirupam’s position became uncomfortable within the Shiv Sena. According to a party insider, one particular incident, still under wraps, irked Bal Thackeray and led to Nirupam's ouster from the party.

After spending a decade with the Shiv Sena, Nirupam had proven himself to be a skilled orator and established himself as a prominent north Indian face among Mumbai politicians. He was inducted into the Congress with the aim of consolidating north Indian voters. Although other north Indian Congress leaders like Kripashankar Singh and Naseem Khan were not pleased with Nirupam’s entry, his growth in Congress mirrored that in the Shiv Sena. Nirupam was given the candidacy for the North Mumbai Lok Sabha seat in the 2009 elections, which he won. In 2014, Nirupam shocked everyone by protesting against the state government, then being run by the Congress party. He sat on a hunger strike, demanding CM Prithviraj Chauhan to reduce electricity tariffs for Mumbai consumers.

Nirupam’s downfall began in 2014 when he was defeated by BJP’s Gopal Shetty in the Lok Sabha elections. He was made the chief of the Mumbai Congress, but the party performed miserably in the 2017 BMC elections. Nirupam resigned from the post, taking responsibility for the defeat. In 2019, Congress fielded him from the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha seat, but he was defeated by Shiv Sena’s Gajanan Kirtikar. Nirupam overtly expressed his dissent when Congress joined the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in 2019 to form the government with Shiv Sena and NCP. Despite his party sharing power with Shiv Sena, Nirupam remained critical of Uddhav Thackeray.

In 2024, Nirupam was hopeful of contesting again from the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha seat. However, during the seat-sharing talks in the MVA, Shiv Sena (UBT) prevailed. Now, Amol Kirtikar of Shiv Sena (UBT) is contesting from the seat. An enraged Nirupam made certain critical statements that didn’t sit well with the Congress leadership, leading to his expulsion from the party for six years. Nirupam was hopeful of getting the ticket from Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. Although the party has inducted Nirupam, Ravindra Waikar, who recently defected from Uddhav Thackeray’s camp, has been given the ticket. Nirupam has returned to the party that facilitated his entry into politics. However, it remains unclear if he will receive the same importance as during his first stint with the party.