Talking to the media, MNS leader Avinash Jadhav said party workers have already started their groundwork. “The Opposition has realised what will happen if the brothers come together. For the alliance to take place, our meetings have started. We as workers have also started working on ground,” he said.
However, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut denied that the meeting was political, stating that it was previously arranged by the cousins and that discussions went on for nearly 2 hours and 45 minutes. “When Uddhav ji had gone to Raj’s house during Ganapati, Raj’s mother and Uddhav’s aunt told him that since there are too many people now, you come again and meet me peacefully. And that is why he went to Raj’s house today,” he added.
The BJP, meanwhile, maintained a calm tone on the developments.
“We give them best wishes. May they come together politically or as a family. We don’t have any issues. The brothers got separated because of politics. If they are also coming together for politics, we have nothing to do with it,” BJP MLA and Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule told the media.
Also Read: Uddhav, Raj hint at uniting ‘for Maharashtra’. Will it be a Thackeray redux or yet another paper tiger
Meetings since July
Speculation over an alliance between the Thackerays have been strong for the last few months. The first major indication was the joint rally held on 5 July when the cousins shared a stage for the first time in nearly 20 years, declaring victory after the Mahayuti withdrew government resolutions (GRs) which introduced a three-language policy in state-run primary schools.
The cousins then met again that same month, when Raj paid Uddhav a surprise visit on the latter’s birthday, further indicating a thaw in their personal relationship.
The third meeting was on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi on 27 August, when Uddhav visited Raj’s house for the first time since it was built.
Raj-Uddhav alliance
Earlier this year, MNS chief Raj Thackeray said on a podcast that he can set aside his differences with cousin Uddhav if the Sena (UBT) chief was ready.
That same day, Uddhav responded positively to the olive branch.
But this was not the first time Raj had reached out to Uddhav.
Raj walked out of the undivided Shiv Sena in 2005 after Bal Thackeray announced Uddhav as his successor. He formed the MNS the next year. In 2012, after the death of Bal Thackeray, the estranged cousins were seen together for the first time since the split.
Raj has been sending feelers to Uddhav over the last decade, and Uddhav did respond to some of those. But there was no significant progress.
The overtures picked up pace in April 2025, when the Maharashtra government introduced Hindi as the third language for state-run primary schools. This prompted the estranged cousins to come together on the language issue, fuelling speculations over an upcoming alliance.
Even though Raj and Uddhav indicated in the past that they should form an alliance, the situation is different now, given the split in the Shiv Sena with Eknath Shinde taking control of the party in 2022.
Although during 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Uddhav’s party as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) bagged 9 of the state’s 48 parliamentary seats, in the assembly elections later that same year, it suffered one of its worst defeats, winning only 20 of the state’s 288 assembly seats.
As for MNS, after winning 13 seats in the 2009 assembly polls, its fortunes started dwindling. MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s son Amit could not even win his maiden election in 2024, losing to Mahesh Sawant of the Sena (UBT) in Mahim assembly constituency.
With the cousins now showing willingness to come together for local body polls, seat sharing will remain a challenge as both Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS largely share the same voter base. Besides, whether MNS joins MVA or Sena (UBT) leaves MVA and joins hands with MNS also needs to be seen.
Congress, on the other hand, has welcomed the cousins coming together, stating that they will take a call on the alliance only after more clarity. Speaking to the media, senior Congress leader Vijay Waddetiwar said, “We met Uddhav Thackeray two days back and discussed what could be Congress’s stand if Raj and Uddhav come together. The Congress party’s stand will be decided by our high command. At the state level, we are happy that two brothers are coming together. An enemy of our enemy is our friend is our stand.”
(Edited by Saksham Thakur)
Also Read: Why peace broker Shinde is staying away from Maratha stir as Jarange keeps guns trained at Fadnavis
