Raj Thackeray (L) and Uddhav Thackeray (R).
Credit: PTI Photos
Mumbai: On July 16, 2012, when Uddhav suddenly experienced breathlessness and chest pain while in the Matoshree bungalow in Bandra and had to be rushed to the Lilavati Hospital, there was panic in the Thackeray household.
Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, the family head who called the shots, made the first call to Raj, who was in the coastal Konkan region. “Dadu has been rushed to hospital,” Balasaheb told his nephew Raj about his son Uddhav. Without losing even a minute, Raja, as he is popularly known in the family, took a U-turn and drove his Mercedes at jet speed and reached the hospital. In the evening, Raj drove his Dadu back home. The photos of the smiling cousins were splashed across newspapers.
The question then was whether Uddhav and Raj would be together.
They used to sit on either side of Balasaheb at public functions and were once inseparable.
Raj was charismatic, a cartoonist and caricaturist, and an excellent orator like Balasaheb, while Uddhav was an excellent photographer who was calm and composed.
However, both chose to keep personal relationships aside and moved on.
The differences among the cousins started in the early 2000s.
In February 2003, Raj proposed the name of Uddhav as the Executive President of the Shiv Sena when Balasaheb decided to reduce workload because of health issues.
Late in 2005, Raj came out of the Shiv Sena fold and on March 9, 2006 founded Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
In between, Balasaheb did make efforts of reconciliation; however, he could not succeed.
In fact, in an editorial in Saamana, a Marathi poem ‘Ya chimanyano parat phira re’ (asking birds to return to nest) was even cited.
In Maharashtra politics, no one ever thought that Uddhav and Raj would ever separate.
In fact, Uddhav’s father Balasaheb and Raj’s father Shrikant, a music composer, were brothers, while Uddhav’s mother Meenatai and Raj’s mother Kundatai are sisters.
When Uddhav and Raj expressed their willingness to “bury differences” and come together for the “larger interests” of Maharashtra, the first reaction came from their maternal uncle Chandrakant Vaidya. “Saheb would have been very happy on hearing this… I am sure… there would be good things… my blessings are with them (Uddhav and Raj)… Saheb’s blessings are with them… the blessings of God are with them and more importantly, the blessings of the Marathi manoos,” said Chandumama, as he is popularly known.
Ever since Uddhav and Raj separated politically, they had met only at a few family gatherings and had taken potshots against each other, sometimes no-holds-barred. However, Raj honoured Uddhav’s invitation to be present among the guests when he was sworn in as Chief Minister.
“Raj Saheb has made a statement in a podcast on which Uddhav Ji has responded. The political situation in Maharashtra has changed in 2025 from what it used to be in 2005. A lot of water has flown under the bridge. While for people of Maharashtra it is great news, issues like alliance or merger are not that easy… if it has to happen, a lot of things would have to be worked out,” a source who is close to the Thackeray household told DH on Sunday. “Besides, there is a new generation as well,” the source said, speaking about Uddhav’s son Aaditya, a two-time MLA and former minister, and Raj’s son Amit.
Political observers said that in 2005–06, there were two alliances involving four parties – the Shiv Sena–BJP saffron alliance and the Congress–NCP Democratic Front. Now there are two alliances – MahaYuti–NDA involving BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and the Maha Vikas Aghadi–I.N.D.I.A. involving Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). “The BJP of today is not the BJP that it used to be in the mid-2000s,” they said.
On December 18, 2005, Raj, before he formed MNS, had said – “What I had asked for was respect, what all I got was insult and humiliation.”
In between, in 2017, there was an attempt at rapprochement, with MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar taking the lead; however, it did not work out.
During this period, there have been three Lok Sabha and three Vidhan Sabha polls. In terms of strength and electoral performance, the Shiv Sena (UBT), which Uddhav now commands after the split engineered by BJP through Eknath Shinde, and MNS, are at their worst.
In case Raj and Uddhav come together, the worst impact would be on Shinde. “Speak about work,” quipped Shinde when asked about the statements of the two leaders.
The Thackeray cousins' talk of possible unity also comes against the backdrop of the state government’s decision to begin implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP), making Hindi a mandatory third language mandatory for students in Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools.
All now depends on how Dadu and Raja take it forward.