Thackeray cousins bury the hatchet after 20 years to reunite before Maha civic polls
Mumbai, Dec 24 : The Thackeray cousins, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, have formally reunited for the 2026 Mumbai civic polls after two decades of rivalry, marking a major realignment of Marathi politics, where they aim to consolidate against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti (Grand Alliance).
The Thackeray cousins held a joint press conference on Wednesday, to announce an electoral alliance between Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-UBT and the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other civic polls.
The two were first seen together in July 2025, when they shared the stage at a rally opposing "imposition of Hindi".
On Wednesday, the Thackeray cousins arrived together at the press conference after paying tributes to Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray at Chhatrapati Shivaji Park -- a symbolic gesture of reconciliation and shared lineage.
The two leaders were accompanied by their families while offering respects at the Smriti Sthal memorial in Shivaji Park.
Before they announced their alliance, the Thackeray cousins said they would work together for the "Marathi manoos".
The public image of the Thackeray cousins travelling and speaking together underlined the political significance of the move and its timing ahead of the January 15 civic elections.
The alliance drew immediate reactions across the political spectrum.
Those associated with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena criticised the tie-up as an "ideological betrayal" of Balasaheb Thackeray's legacy.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis brushed off the reunion of the two Thackeray cousins on Wednesday, claiming it will not have any impact on Maharashtra civic polls.
"A hype is being built up like it's the coming together of Russia and Ukraine; as if it's Zelensky and Putin talking to each other," he quipped when reporters asked for his opinion.
"They have come together only for selfish interests; the people of Maharashtra will show them their place," Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told the media.
Some local leaders and workers also expressed unease about seat distribution and grassroots coordination.
BJP's Mumbai unit has also attacked the Thackeray cousins, sharing an old video where Raj Thackeray is criticising the Shiv Sena in 2005 after his exit.
Meanwhile, there are certain claims that a majority of the 84 former Corporators of the undivided Shiv Sena have joined the Eknath Shinde-led faction.
The Thackeray cousins are likely to face operational challenges, like integrating party cadres, reconciling local rivalries, and converting a high-profile national narrative into disciplined, ward-level campaigning to translate the alliance into electoral gains.
If effectively managed, the reunion could reshape Mumbai's civic arithmetic by consolidating Marathi voters and reducing vote-splitting that previously benefited the BJP and its allies.
The Thackeray union may change equations in some pockets, where in 67 of the 227 BMC wards in the city, the MNS polled more votes than the winning margin.
The alliance also signals a broader recalibration of regional politics in Maharashtra ahead of future state and national contests, potentially opening space for negotiations with other regional players.
However, success depends on clear seat-sharing agreements between themselves and other opposition parties like the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar, among others.
Early reports indicate seat-sharing discussions are underway, with Shiv Sena-UBT likely to contest nearly 145–150 seats in Mumbai and the MNS around 65–70.
Talks are also said to be underway with other regional players in Maharashtra.
The Shiv Sena was founded by Balasaheb Thackeray in 1966 as a Marathi-centric, regional force.
His nephew, Raj Thackeray, broke away in 2006 to form the MNS following ideological and leadership disputes.
This created two rival Sena lineages that competed for the identical voter base for nearly 20 years.
The December 2025 reunion, therefore, represents not just an electoral pact but a symbolic mending of a family and political schism that has shaped Maharashtra politics since the mid-2000s.