'Pawar, Thackeray brands cannot be wiped out from Maharashtra politics'

Pune: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has said attempts have been made to "finish off" the Pawar and Thackeray brands in politics but asserted that they cannot be wiped out.

At an event organised by a Marathi news portal in Pune, Raj Thackeray spoke about the relevance of the Pawar and Thackeray surnames in the politics of Maharashtra and the country.

"As far as the Thackeray brand is concerned, my grandfather Prabhodankar Thackeray had the first major impact on Maharashtra. After him, it was Balasaheb Thackeray, followed by my father, Shrikant Thackeray, who made a mark in music. Later, both Uddhav and I made our impact," he said.

The MNS leader said efforts are undoubtedly being made to finish off these brands but asserted that they will not be wiped out easily.

He added that even if leaders at the helm change, the brands will remain.

Raj Thackeray's comments come amid a buzz about his possible reconciliation with his cousin Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, nearly two decades after parting ways.

Maharashtra politics witnessed a churn after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar-founded Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) suffered a split in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

A major chunk of the Shiv Sena is with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and the NCP also met a similar fate as Ajit Pawar walked away with the majority of legislators to become a part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi, or MVA, comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), headed by Sharad Pawar, was decimated in the 2024 assembly polls after it could win only 46 of the 288 seats in the state while the MNS drew blank.