Maharashtra civic polls: Uddhav, Raj Thackeray joint interview to be aired ahead of municipal elections

Mumbai: For the first time, a joint interview of Thackeray cousins — Uddhav and Raj — will be published in print and aired on social media platforms in the run-up to the crucial elections to Maharashtra’s 29 municipal corporations, including the financial capital, Mumbai.

The interview of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS founder-president Raj Thackeray comes days ahead of the 100th birth anniversary of their mentor and Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, which falls on 23 January 2026.

The interview has been conducted by Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut, a close aide of Uddhav and friend of Raj, along with eminent filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar.

It will be published in two parts on Thursday and Friday in the Marathi daily Saamana, its Hindi tabloid Dophar ka Saamana, and across the newspaper group’s social media platforms.

According to a teaser shared by Raut, the discussion sees the Thackeray cousins sharply criticising issues affecting Mumbai as well as broader state-level politics.

Uddhav questioned the city’s political leadership, remarking that many of today’s politicians could not truly be considered Mumbaikars.

Raj launched a direct attack on chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying he should refrain from speaking on corruption.

While Raut is the executive editor of Saamana, this marks the first time he has included Manjrekar as a co-interviewer. Manjrekar shares a personal rapport with both Raj and Uddhav.

It may be recalled that during a podcast hosted by Manjrekar and aired on 19 April 2025, Raj spoke about burying personal differences with Uddhav in the larger interest of Maharashtra.

“The issues between us are very small. For me, the interest of Maharashtra is bigger, and everything else is secondary. For that, I can set aside minor disputes and am ready to work with Uddhav. The only question is of will — and it’s not just about me. I believe all Marathi people across political parties should unite and form a single front,” Raj had said.

Uddhav responded soon after, saying, “I am also ready to set aside minor disputes for the Marathi language and Maharashtra. I am ready to work together, but Raj should not host anti-Maharashtra people and parties — definitely not the ‘gaddar’ Sena.”

This was followed by a series of one-on-one meetings between the cousins, involving top aides and family interactions.

On 5 July 2025, Raj and Uddhav came together at the Dome in Worli for the cause of the Marathi language. On 24 December 2025, they formally announced a political alliance. On 4 January 2026, the cousins jointly visited the Shiv Sena Bhavan, marking a moment widely seen as coming full circle.