The Sena, which contested the Assembly polls under the leadership of Uddhav, could win only 44 seats (as against 56 in 2004) — two less than its ally BJP, while the three-year-old MNS won 13. Jittery of losing its hold on the BMC next, the party is planning to use the charisma of Thackeray to keep the flock together and retain power in the BMC.

“Balasaheb met senior leaders and MLAs last night and visited Sena Bhavan (Shiv Sena’s headquarters) after a gap of over two years,” a senior Sena leader said. “It has boosted the Sainiks’ morale. He is also going to talk to those who were defeated in the elections.”

He said Thackeray would become more active in the near future and conduct meetings of Sena corporators and Sainiks “to revive the old Shiv Sena spirit”.

During his visit to the Sena headquarters on Thursday night, Thackeray was mobbed by Sainiks. The Sena chief, on his part, asked them not to get disheartened by defeats and said the party had overcome many defeats in the past. He also said those who wanted to desert the Sena could go ahead.

The public appearance of Thackeray, who had stayed away from election campaigns, against the backdrop of Uddhav’s earlier remarks that his father would only address the victory rally after the Assembly polls indicates that the Sena could harden its stand on its pet issues.

According to them, the party has decided to consolidate its position in Mumbai as a priority — the formation of the ‘Bhagva Guards’ (Saffron Guards), to protect Mumbaikars after a woman on a morning walk was killed in central Mumbai, is said to be part of this plan.

The Sena has also decided to take on the MNS. After the MNS organised a protest at Haj House to demand more quota for Maharashtra’s Muslims two days ago, the Sena organised a public singing of ‘Vande Mataram’. It also demanded that every Indian should sing the song to express patriotism and those who did not should have their tongues chopped off.

The Sena gesture was similar to what the MNS did two years ago. When the Sena organised Chhat Pooja for north Indians and the Sena-controlled BMC sought to award tax concessions for Bhojpuri films, Raj had unleashed a reign of terror on north Indian migrants seeking jobs in Mumbai, to drive a message that the Sena was turning away from its ‘Marathi’ agenda.

The Sena is also making special efforts to woo young voters. In Thane, Satish Pradhan, a senior Sena leader who left the MNS to rejoin the Sena, organised sports tournaments with the help of the Sena-ruled civic body.