Uddhav Thackeray denies rumours of patch-up with Raj Thackeray

Uddhav Thackeray denies rumours of joining hands with Raj Thackeray. No discussion of alliance between estranged cousins. Uddhav's statement ends speculation of MNS and Shiv Sena alliance.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday, July 27, 2023 denied rumours of joining hands with his estranged cousin and founder-president of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Raj Thackeray.

“There is no such discussion as of now. There is no need of speculating in this vein,” said Mr. Thackeray, during the second part of his interview with Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on occasion of his 63rd birthday today.

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Recently, after the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction joined the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena government led by Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde, the MNS started a signature campaign across the State asking the public to express their outrage over the latest political developments where leaders rampantly compromised ideologies for the sake of power.

Following its rout in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election and its general decline in the State’s politics, the MNS had changed its ideological direction by veering towards ‘Hindutva’ politics, signalled by Mr. Thackeray’s adoption of a saffron flag incorporating Chhatrapati Shivaji’s royal seal or ‘Rajmudra’ in 2020.

Since then, the MNS has inched ever closer to the BJP in an attempt to seize the ‘Hindutva’ space from the Shiv Sena led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray – the common adversary of Mr. Shinde’s faction, the BJP and the MNS.

The developments led to speculation about the estranged cousins — Raj and Uddhav Thackeray — coming together. Both leaders have maintained a studied silence on the matter so far, with Mr. Uddhav clearing the air now.