Return of the Thackeray brand? Uddhav and Raj's bonhomie stirs Sena-MNS alliance chatter in Maharashtra

Both families posed together against sketches of Balasaheb, Shrikant and Prabodhankar Thackeray — an image that went viral.

Mumbai: A public show of strength and two family meetings within two months have signalled a renewed closeness in what is being called the return of the Thackeray brand.

After two decades of estrangement, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray shared a stage on July 5, hinting at a wider alliance in the run-up to the upcoming local body polls under the banner of Maratha-bhasha and Marathi-manoos.

On July 27, Raj visited Matoshree in Bandra to greet Uddhav on his 65th birthday and invited him to his Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. A photo of the cousins against the backdrop of late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray soon went viral.

Exactly a month later, on August 27, Uddhav, along with his wife Rashmi and son Aaditya, attended the Ganesh festival at Shivtirth in Dadar. This time, images of the two families together — featuring Uddhav’s wife Rashmi, Raj’s wife Sharmila, and their sons Aaditya and Amit — with sketches of Balasaheb, Shrikant and their father, social reformer Prabodhankar Thackeray, in the background, drew wide attention.

The Thackerays share close family ties: Uddhav’s father Balasaheb and Raj’s father Shrikant were brothers, while Uddhav’s mother Meenatai and Raj’s mother Kundatai were sisters.

Their public bonhomie comes at a crucial juncture. Maharashtra is headed for high-stakes civic elections covering 29 municipal corporations, 257 municipal councils, 26 zilla parishads and 289 panchayat samitis — together representing over 60% of the state’s population across Konkan, Western Maharashtra, North Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha.

The meetings have fuelled speculation of a Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance. While Uddhav remains a key figure in the Maha Vikas Aghadi-INDIA bloc, Raj supported the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls before contesting the Assembly polls independently.

The cousins’ outreach also comes at a low point for both parties: the Shiv Sena (UBT) won only 20 seats in the Assembly polls, while the MNS failed to open its account.