Political leader, orator, photographer, and a family man are a few of the facets of Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, son of late Bal Thackeray. Uddhav Thackeray has been active in politics since an early age, as he attended innumerable rallies with his father.
Uddhav Thackeray was born on July 27, 1960, to Bal Keshav Thackeray and Mina Thackeray. His father was a cartoonist and a politician, who fought for people's rights and went on to carve a name for himself in the history of Indian politics
In photo: Uddhav Thackeray catches up on daily events as he reads Mid-day.
In photo: Cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray at the inauguration of Air Corporation Employee Co-operative Bank Ltd near Santacruz airport.
Did you know that as a teenager, Uddhav Thackeray was not interested in pursuing a career in politics, but that changed when he began attending rallies held by his father.
In photo: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray along with his wife Rashmi and son Aaditya Thackeray share a light moment with Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar.
Before venturing into active politics, Uddhav Thackeray used to look after the daily affairs of a leading Marathi newspaper. In January 2003, he was elected as the working president of Shiv Sena and since then, there has been no turning back for the 60-year-old Sena leader.
Uddhav Thackeray married Rashmi Patankar on December 13, 1988. Interestingly, the two met while pursuing their education from JJ School of Arts in Mumbai. From being classmates to becoming life partners, both, Uddhav and Rashmi have come a long way. Rashmi Thackeray, the first lady of the state, is often seen accompanying him at various public events and functions.
In photo: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray greets the crowd as he arrives for the reopening of Hindmata theatre in Dadar.
Uddhav and Rashmi Thackeray, the power couple from Mumbai, have been married for over 31 years. They have two sons - Aaditya Thackeray, who is the state tourism and environment minister and Yuva Sena chief, and Tejas Thackeray, who is pursuing studies and prefers to keep a low profile in the public.
In photo: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray snapped with wife Rashmi and sons Aaditya and Tejas Thackeray as the family took part in Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations held at Ambani's residence in South Mumbai last year.
Uddhav Thackeray, who wasn't interested in pursuing a career in politics, had a thing for arts and nature. The 60-year-old leader always had a knack for photography. Such was his love for the lenses that back in 2004, he showcased his collection of aerial shots of various forts of Maharashtra at The Jehangir Art Gallery.
Besides being a politician, writer, editor, and a family man, Uddhav Thackeray is also an author. He has published two photo-books - Maharashtra Desh (2010) and Pahava Vitthal (2011). While Maharashtra Desh captures various aspects of Maharashtra, Pahava Vitthal focuses on Varkaris during Pandharpur Yatra in Maharashtra.
In photo: Uddhav Thackeray shows off his photography skills as veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan looks on during the former's photo exhibition held at Jehangir Art Gallery in Fort, Mumbai.
After leading Shiv Sena to a thumping victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections in 2002, Uddhav Thackeray was appointed as the working president of the party in 2003.
But things turned ugly when Uddhav's cousin Raj Thackeray had a fallout with Shiv Sena. Later, Raj went on to form his own party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Within three months after quitting the Sena cadre, Raj founded MNS on March 9, 2006.
In photo: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray with his father late Bal Thackeray, and cousin Raj Thackeray during the party's rally in Mumbai.
Uddhav Thackeray's wife Rashmi Thackeray, who has always stood as an anchor for the political leader, played an important role in shaping the politician that Uddhav Thackeray is today. From encouraging Uddhav to take part in politics to standing by his side as a pillar, Rashmi has proved why she is the most important person in Uddhav's political journey so far.
Every now and then, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray is seen sharing photos with his wife on social media where the two can be seen attending political events and social gatherings.
In photo: Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and his wife Rashmi Thackeray spotted at an event in Mumbai.
Uddhav Thackeray officially took charge of the Sena after his father passed away in 2012 due to cardiac arrest. From openly criticising Sena CM Narayan Rane to leading his party to a massive victory in the BMC elections, Uddhav Thackeray has been proving his mettle as a politician.
A few months before his father's death, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray underwent an angioplasty. He was admitted at a suburban hospital in Bandra and all the three blockages in his arteries were successfully operated upon.
In photo: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray seems to be engrossed in his party's work as then Sena CM Manohar Joshi looks on and a young Aaditya Thackeray is playful.
Over the course of time, Uddhav Thackeray has led his party with an example. From getting a mandate in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections to repeating the feat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Sena veteran leader along with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) made waves in Indian politics from 2009 to 2014.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and the Shiv Sena together won 41 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra.
In Photo: Shiv Sena workers hold laddoos in front of a picture of Uddhav Thackeray on the party's historic win in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
In photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray share a hearty laugh during an event in Mumbai.
Post the Lok Sabha victory, the saffron alliance led by Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis fought the Maharashtra Assembly elections and got people's mandate. But due to personal differences, the two parted ways post the election results. While BJP failed to prove the majority, the Sena formed an alliance with the Congress and NCP to stake claim to form the 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' government.
In photo: Thackeray family pose after casting their votes during the Assembly elections.
In photo: Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi Thackeray and Sena leader Sanjay Raut pose for the shutterbugs as Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan announces the teaser launch of the film on the life of Bal Thackery.
On November 26, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray was unanimously elected as the leader of the 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' by the leaders of the MVA alliance at a meeting held in Mumbai. Thackeray was also nominated as the CM candidate of the Sena-NCP-Congress alliance.
The next day, a special session of the 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly commenced where the newly-elected MLAs were administered the oath. While the swearing-in of MLAs continued, Sena chief and CM candidate Uddhav Thackeray along with his wife Rashmi Thackeray met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at his residence Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.
In photo: Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray poses alongside Mukesh Ambani, Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit Nene and her husband Sriram Nene for the paparazzi at the Ambani's Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations held at Antilia.
Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray shares a warm hug with his father as leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi cheer for their CM candidate.
In photo: Uddhav Thackeray pays tribute to Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as he inaugurates the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue near Mumbai airport in Vile Parle.
Soon after being elected as the leader of the 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' and after being nominated as the CM candidate, Uddhav Thackeray went to his residence Matoshree where he paid tributes to his father and sought his blessings.
While Uddhav Thackeray became the first from the Thackeray family to be sworn in as the chief minister, his son Aaditya Thackeray became the first of his family in three generations to contest and win an election. The junior Thackeray won from Worli assembly constituency by a margin of over 65,000 votes.
In photo: Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar share a light moment during the Maha Vikas Aghadi meeting.
In photo: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray with wife Rashmi Thackeray at Lord Vitthal Temple in Pandharpur. Pic/Twitter CMO Maharashtra
In photo: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray takes oath as Member of the Legislative Council amid the coronavirus crisis in Mumbai.
In photo: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray snapped with business tycoon Mukesh Ambani at an award show in Mumbai.
In photo: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray shares a light moment with wife Rashmi Thackeray and son Aaditya Thackeray during Sena's workers' felicitation ceremony in Mumbai.
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