Mumbai: With prayers from his well wishers, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s health condition is showing steady improvement. His son and Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said here late Thursday that Balasaheb’s condition was ‘stable’.

“He is stable and we are doing everything we can…His health is improving…He is better than yesterday…We have still not given up hopes,” Uddhav declared before a large crowd of activists and media-persons outside the family residence Matoshree in Bandra (East) around 11 pm.

“We are all praying for him, and it is the strength of our prayers that will see him through this crisis,” Uddhav said, in his fourth media appearance in the past 20 hours.

86-year-old Thackeray, who had been ailing since some time, turned very critical on Wednesday night. However, his condition showed improvement yesterday.

“Balasaheb is responding to medical treatment,” Uddhav had said.

Following the positive announcements made by several leaders, Mumbaikars relaxed though crowds of supporters continued to throng Bandra (East) and the entire area remained under a security blanket.

Thackeray has been under the care of a team of specialists from Lilavati Hospital, Bandra West, at his home. According to party leaders, a virtual ICU had been created at Matoshree with all emergency equipment and medical and para-medical staff on duty round-the-clock.

Other leaders, including senior Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai, party MP Sanjay Raut, and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, also Thackeray’s nephew, assured the people that his condition was “stabilising”.

A steady stream of VVIPs, industrialists and glamour world personalities visited the Thackeray residence yesterday. Amongst them were Governor K Sankaranarayanan, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Home Minister RR Patil, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Nitin Gadkari and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar.

Glamour world personalities like Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek, Rishi Kapoor with brother Randhir, Salim Khan and son Salman Khan, Manoj Kumar, Madhur Bhandarkar, Bappi Lahiri, industrialists VN Dhoot, Rahul Bajaj and others visited Matoshree to enquire about Thackeray’s delicate health.

Mumbai Police and other security agencies have made heavy security arrangements outside Matoshree and in large parts of Bandra East, barely a stone’s throw away from the CBD, Bandra-Kurla Complex, which also houses the US Consulate and the British Deputy High Commission.

Over 350 police personnel, Rapid Action Force and other contingents led by senior officers have deployed security in the vicinity to prevent any untoward incidents.