Thackeray cousins close ranks? BMC poll tie-up buzz gains ground after Uddhav-Raj's marathon 2-hour meeting

After a string of courtesy visits over the past few months, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS president Raj Thackeray met once again on Wednesday—this time for a two-and-a-half-hour meeting at Raj’s Shivaji Park residence. Uddhav was accompanied by MP Sanjay Raut, reported TOI.

The marathon discussion has virtually sealed the possibility of a Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) insiders told the media outletT.

Workers from both parties also hinted that talks on seat-sharing could follow in the coming weeks.


Raut, however, downplayed the speculation. He maintained that Uddhav had gone to meet Raj’s mother, Kunda Thackeray, who had earlier invited him for a longer family interaction after a brief exchange during Ganeshotsav.

"There was no political discussion. The truth is that Kunda, the mother of Raj Thackeray, asked Uddhav to visit. She said during our Ganpati visit that we were not able to speak at length. So let's sit and speak. Hence, we went to Raj Thackeray's house to meet Uddhav's aunt," Raut insisted.

Moreover, according to the report, political observers describe the encounter as something beyond symbolic gestures.

Meanwhile, the meeting comes just two days after Congress leaders met Uddhav at Matoshree to discuss the shape of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance and whether the MNS might be accommodated within it.

The road to BMC 2025

With 227 seats in the civic body, the MNS is said to be eyeing 90–95 seats, though party insiders admit negotiations are likely to bring that number down, TOI reported.

The possibility of the MNS formally aligning with the Sena (UBT) has stirred interest among political watchers, who view the evolving Thackeray family dynamics as a potential game-changer in Mumbai’s civic politics.

The Wednesday meeting also adds to a series of public gestures in recent months. In July, Raj visited Matoshree for the first time since breaking away in 2006, to wish Uddhav on his 65th birthday. Uddhav, in turn, went to Raj’s home during Ganpati darshan last month, where Raut was also present.

Each encounter has blended personal warmth with political undertones, but Wednesday’s long sit-down suggests that the relationship between the estranged cousins may now be moving beyond symbolism, the report further said.