Raj Thackeray, Uddhav meet at wedding; spark speculation of rapprochement

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 PTIThe 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 PTIMaharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS Raj Thackeray met the former state chief minister and the latters wife Rashmi Thackeray at the event amid rumours of a rift in both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA campsPolitical 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 cashrich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation due in the state The schedule for the civic polls has not yet been announced reported PTIThis was the third public meeting between the cousins in the last two months further intensifying speculation of a thaw in ties between the two partiesRaj Thackeray quit the Shiv Sena then undivided in 2005 and floated his own party the next yearIn the last years elections to the 288member Maharashtra assembly the Shiv Sena UBT which is part of the opposition MVA won 20 seats while the MNS drew a blankAfter assembly poll debacle desertions rock Uddhav Thackerays Sena UBTBarely three months after the Maharashtra assembly polls the Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena UBT has been jolted by a series of desertions with several party functionaries and even former MLAs abandoning the partyThe latest big name to quit the party was Rajan Salvi a threetime MLA from the Rajapur assembly seat in Ratnagiri district in the coastal Konkan regionA 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 Shindes party along with many Sena UBT officebearersLast week Rajul Patel a former corporator women wing leader of Sena UBT and a staunch Thackeray loyalist jumped shipFor 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 analystsAddressing party workers recently Thackeray referred to the defections and called himself a man who has suffered betrayals In a selfdeprecating 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 himIn 2022 Thackeray then the head of the Bal Thackerayfounded Shiv Sena suffered the biggest blow of his political career when Shinde rebelled against him and 39 MLAs and 13 MPs joined the revoltShinde who aligned with the BJP to become the chief minister subsequently got the partys name and its bow and arrow symbol The faction headed by Thackeray became Shiv Sena UBT a partner in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi MVAWith Shindes 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 ThackerayHowever since his partys defeat in the 2024 assembly polls the cadre is now migrating to the Shindeled Sena Of the 288 assembly seats in the state the Sena UBT contested 97 but won only 20 By contrast Shindes party a constituent of the BJPled Mahayuti grabbed 57 of the 87 seats it contestedWith inputs from PTI