Thackeray Brothers Reunite: Political Alliance Forms Ahead of Mumbai Civic Elections

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray visited Matoshree - the residence of Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray - for the second time in recent months on Saturday, marking their fifth encounter this year. The formerly estranged cousins, who have been gradually reconnecting, appeared together twice that day, initially at a family function hosted by UBT MP Sanjay Raut, followed by a meeting at Uddhav Thackeray's home in Bandra East. These consecutive meetings have reignited speculation about a potential political alliance.

The reconciliation process began in June when both the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena UBT jointly challenged the state government's decision to implement Hindi as the third mandatory language in schools beginning from Class 1.

What was originally planned as a protest demonstration evolved into a collaborative event, where the two leaders shared a platform for the first time in nearly two decades.

While Uddhav Thackeray and his faction have openly suggested forming a pre-election alliance for the upcoming civic polls, Raj Thackeray has reportedly instructed his party members to remain patient until arrangements are finalized. His actions, however, indicate a different narrative.

In July, Raj Thackeray's unexpected visit to Matoshree on Uddhav's birthday, his first in over ten years, was widely interpreted as a symbolic homecoming to the Thackeray family residence.

Sources have revealed that both parties have established a committee comprising senior leaders to identify constituencies and evaluate where each organization's strengths can be most effectively deployed.

The committee is expected to facilitate smoother negotiations, addressing an issue that caused previous discussions to fail on two separate occasions.

At the grassroots level, members from both parties have already begun working together.

In Nashik, supporters of the MNS and UBT were recently observed demonstrating together. However, an early test of this collaboration in the BEST credit society elections proved unsuccessful, with the alliance failing to secure any seats.

Party officials, nevertheless, minimize the significance of this outcome, stating that the contest held little political importance compared to the forthcoming high-stakes BMC elections.

Meanwhile, the BJP, under its newly appointed city president, has initiated an aggressive campaign, cautioning that "Mumbai will get a Mayor named Khan" if UBT returns to power.

The Thackeray-led groups, conversely, are expected to center their campaign around Marathi identity and claims of poor governance in the city over the past two and a half years.

During the recent Dussehra rally, both Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut encouraged party workers to "see Raj and his party as their own," further indicating that the two factions are preparing to reunite once again.