Uddhav to visit Raj Thackeray's home for Ganeshotsav after cousins bury the hatchet

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, along with his family, will visit Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray’s residence ‘Shivtirth’ on Wednesday to offer prayers to Lord Ganesha during the ongoing Ganeshotsav celebrations.

The visit, coming weeks after the cousins shared the stage in Mumbai for the first time in two decades, is being closely watched for its political significance ahead of the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections scheduled in early 2026.

The Thackeray cousins, who parted ways nearly two decades ago when Raj left the Shiv Sena in 2005 and floated the MNS in 2006, have reconciled in recent months. In July, they came together at a rally in Worli to oppose the state government’s move to make Hindi a compulsory language in schools, a joint stand that forced the Devendra Fadnavis government to roll back its decision.

At the rally, Raj Thackeray had said, “Maharashtra is bigger than any politics and fighting. Today, after 20 years, Uddhav and I have come together. What Balasaheb could not do, Devendra Fadnavis did it... The work of bringing both of us together.” Uddhav, too, made his intent clear, declaring, “We have come together to stay together.”

Since then, the cousins have kept up the momentum. Days after the Worli rally, Raj visited ‘Matoshree’ on Uddhav’s birthday, where the two posed together in front of a portrait of their uncle and Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, signalling that the decades-old frost in their relationship was beginning to thaw.

Political observers say that a potential alliance between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS could consolidate the Marathi vote base in Mumbai and surrounding areas. The undivided Shiv Sena historically commanded a strong emotional connect with Marathi-speaking voters, and a reunion of the two Thackerays could energise this constituency ahead of the civic polls.

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