Thackeray cousins meet again amid alliance buzz

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) head Raj Thackeray met again on Sunday, this time for a personal event, amid speculation about the cousins allying for the upcoming local body polls.

The Thackeray cousins attended the naming ceremony of Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut's grandchild in Mumbai.

Videos of Raj, Uddhav and his MLA son Aaditya Thackeray, along with Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Anil Desai and Milind Narvekar chatting in a playful mood surfaced on social media.


The meetings between Raj and Uddhav have become more frequent after their July 5 "victory" rally to celebrate the Maharashtra government's rollback of its contentious orders on three-language formula for students of classes 1 to 5 amid charges of imposition of Hindi in the state dominated by Marathi speakers.

Last month, former state chief minister Uddhav Thackeray visited the MNS president's residence 'Shivtirth' in Dadar area here to meet the latter's mother, Kunda 'mavshi' (mother's sister). Both Raj and Uddhav are maternal as well as paternal cousins.

Uddhav visited 'Shivtirth' in August also on the occasion of the Ganesh festival.

In July-end, Raj visited Matoshree', the residence of Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai's Bandra area, to wish the latter on his birthday.

Although Raj quit the undivided Shiv Sena in 2005, blaming Uddhav for his exit, the drubbing of their parties in the 2024 assembly polls appears to have pushed the rivals to improve ties.

Both parties have dropped enough hints of forging an alliance for the upcoming polls to local bodies, including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), but have not yet announced a formal tie-up.

If the alliance happens, the BJP, a fierce critic of the Shiv Sena (UBT), will be its main rival.

The Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) are partners in the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

Amid the buzz over their pan-Maharashtra alliance, the Sena (UBT) and MNS faced a setback in August in the election to the BEST Employees Cooperative Credit Society Ltd, where the panel backed by the two parties lost all 21 seats up for grabs.