Thackeray cousins — Uddhav and Raj — came together for the ninth time.
Credit: X@AUThackeray
Mumbai: As the Thackeray cousins — Uddhav and Raj — came together for the ninth time, the possibility of an electoral alliance between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS seem to solidify in the run up to the mega local bodies elections in Maharashtra.
The back-to-back personal meetings between Uddhav, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and Raj, the MNS president, the bonding between their sons and the coming together of the Thackeray clan as a composite unit has created a buzz in Maharashtra politics.
On Thursday, the Thackeray family celebrated Bhai Dooj together - after Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali and back-to-back to personal events.
The Thackeray-brand is going to play an important role in the forthcoming polls, political observers said adding that to resurrect their respective parties which has got a drubbing in the 2024 Vidhan Sabha polls the coming together of Uddhav and Raj is inevitable.
More than 60 per cent population of the state’s will vote in the local; bodies elections which involves 29 municipal corporations, 257 municipal councils, 26 zilla parishads, 289 panchayat samitis - spread across the five geographical regions - Konkan, Western Maharashtra, North Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha - making it a sort of mini-Assembly polls.
However, the bonhomie of the Thackeray cousins has created a sort of confusion among the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi which comprises Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar-NCP (SP) and Congress.
The Congress does not seem to be in a mood to include Raj in the electoral alliance and are speaking of going alone particularly in the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation.
Last week, after a meeting of the Congress, AICC general secretary Ramesh Chennithala said: “Many Congress office-bearers and workers wish to contest local body elections independently, however, the final decision vests with the local units…there has been no discussion in the Congress about MNS, nor have we discussed it with our allies.”
However, now Congress leader Bhai Jagtap has said that Congress workers want to go alone. “This is a battle of grassroots workers. I have said that we should contest alone. I am not the only person with this stance in the party; our Political Affairs Committee believes that Congress should go solo for the upcoming BMC elections. We’ve conveyed our stance to the top leadership, but the final call lies with the high command,” he said.
On the other hand, Uddhav aide Sanjay Raut had maintained that the Congress high-command would take a call and the Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership will speak to Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.