Party hopes Bal Thackeray casting his vote u00a0after six years will get people to choose Sena

After the six-year voting ban on Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray was lifted in 2005, he voted for the first time in the 2006 BMC elections.

This presence, believe party sources, ensured that the Sena romped home in those polls.

So party men believe that Thackeray's appearance yesterday at a Bandra polling centre would've encouraged traditional Sena followers to vote for the party.

"His coming out to vote definitely enthused voters. Besides, he also visited the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and that showed interest in infrastructure issues," said Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe.

HUM CHAR: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray with son Uddhav, daughter-in-law Rashmi and grandson Aditya at a polling centre in Bandra yesterday.

Missing polls

Thackeray could not vote for six years following a High Court ruling and Election Commission (EC) notification after he was pulled up for appealing people to vote on caste and communal lines.

The EC notification meant that he could not vote for six years from 1999 hence missing the 1999 and 2005 Assembly elections, the 2001 BMC elections and the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.
u00a0
While Thackeray could've voted in the April 2009 general elections, he didn't because of ill health.

6
The number of years Bal Thackeray was banned from voting Bal Thackeray couldn't attend the Shiv Sena's Shivaji Park rally on Saturday, so a recorded speech was used instead

36
The number of seats from Mumbai in the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly

HUM CHAR: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray with son Uddhav, daughter-in-law Rashmi and grandson Aditya at a polling centre in Bandra yesterday.