The politically estranged cousins were seen together on Sunday evening at the wedding of the son of Mahendra Kalyankar, a government official, in Andheri area in Mumbai
Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray. File Pic
MNS chief Raj Thackeray met his cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray at a wedding function in Mumbai, raising speculation that they might be keen on resolving their political differences ahead of civic polls in Maharashtra, reported news agency PTI.
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The politically estranged cousins were seen together on Sunday evening at the wedding of the son of Mahendra Kalyankar, a government official, in Andheri area in Mumbai, reported PTI.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Raj Thackeray met the former state chief minister and the latter's wife Rashmi Thackeray at the event, amid rumours of a rift in both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) camps.
Political observers said there is a possibility of the MNS and Sena (UBT) wishing to resolve their political differences in view of the civic body elections, including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, due in the state. The schedule for the civic polls has not yet been announced, reported PTI.
This was the third public meeting between the cousins in the last two months, further intensifying speculation of a thaw in ties between the two parties.
Raj Thackeray quit the Shiv Sena (then undivided) in 2005 and floated his own party the next year.
In the last year's elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, the Shiv Sena (UBT), which is part of the opposition MVA, won 20 seats, while the MNS drew a blank.
After assembly poll debacle, desertions rock Uddhav Thackeray's Sena (UBT)
Barely three months after the Maharashtra assembly polls, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has been jolted by a series of desertions, with several party functionaries and even former MLAs abandoning the party.
The latest big name to quit the party was Rajan Salvi, a three-time MLA from the Rajapur assembly seat in Ratnagiri district in the coastal Konkan region.
A staunch supporter of the Thackerays, Salvi joined the Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, with his supporters earlier this month. Days later, another former MLA from Konkan joined Shinde's party along with many Sena (UBT) office-bearers.
Last week, Rajul Patel, a former corporator, women wing leader of Sena (UBT) and a staunch Thackeray loyalist, jumped ship.
For the Thackerays, the loss of leaders like Patel and Salvi is beyond an organisational setback as they enjoyed a degree of confidence in the first family, according to political analysts.
Addressing party workers recently, Thackeray referred to the defections and called himself a man who has suffered betrayals. In a self-deprecating manner, he likened his situation to that of the Japanese, saying they are more surprised when there are no tremors. He also said his own men are being used to target him.
In 2022, Thackeray, then the head of the Bal Thackeray-founded Shiv Sena, suffered the biggest blow of his political career when Shinde rebelled against him, and 39 MLAs and 13 MPs joined the revolt.
Shinde, who aligned with the BJP to become the chief minister, subsequently got the party's name and its 'bow and arrow' symbol. The faction headed by Thackeray became Shiv Sena (UBT), a partner in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
With Shinde's clout growing as the CM, a few corporators from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also joined him but the Sena (UBT) cadre remained largely with Thackeray.
However, since his party's defeat in the 2024 assembly polls, the cadre is now migrating to the Shinde-led Sena. Of the 288 assembly seats in the state, the Sena (UBT) contested 97 but won only 20. By contrast, Shinde's party, a constituent of the BJP-led Mahayuti, grabbed 57 of the 87 seats it contested.
(With inputs from PTI)
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