Parivar, party, and the quest for power
On July 6, 2025, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray featured on the front page. SaamanaShiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece. The hanger above the masthead of the billboard showing two cousins Uddhav and Raj arm in arm read loudly: “Historic! Joy all over Maharashtra!”
The front page was devoted to stories about the cousins’ show of unity, their appeal to the Marathi people, and how reunification would affect the State. “We came together to stay together!”, “The Thackerays stood by Mother Marathi!” said the headlines. They had not officially announced their reunion at the time.
The previous day, the two met at Worli Dome, a theater hall, and decided to celebrate the day as Marathi Vijay Diwas to commemorate the Maharashtra government’s withdrawal of the three-language policy that forced children to learn Hindi in primary education.
Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and mutual friend of the Thackerays who played a key role in bringing them back together, says: “Marathi manoo (people) were waiting. There is a feeling among many Marathi families that ‘Thackerays must unite for Marathi, for Mumbai, for Maharashtra’. This dream has come true.” He described it as an emotional moment from a breakup two decades ago.
On Christmas Eve 2025, the cousins announced an electoral alliance between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for the January 15 municipal corporation elections. Although these will be held in 29 cities, the cousins have joined hands primarily for Mumbai, Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Nashik in what is seen as a fight for survival.
Cousins Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, and Raj Thackeray, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief, at a press conference in Mumbai after announcing their alliance for the upcoming municipal corporation elections. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
The family was also present at the press conference held to announce their political alliance. Rashmi Uddhav Thackeray and Sharmila Raj Thackeray sat side by side on chairs near the stage.
Raut stood between Uddhav and a slightly nervous Raj before the duo posed for a photo together. There was an enlarged photo of the two cousins at the venue; Balasaheb was sitting in the middle and was holding them like adults. Shortly thereafter, party leaders took to the stage to distribute bouquets and congratulate.
The three-generation family saga has all the makings of a Bollywood blockbuster: family drama, intense emotion, suspense, insecurities and action. The Mumbai-based story begins 60 years ago with the founding of a political party and an extraordinary ideologue in old Bombay. In 1966, the charismatic Balasaheb Thackeray, who built the Shiv Sena on the so-called ‘sons of the soil’ board, renamed Bombay Mumbai after the goddess Mumbadevi.
Sharing and compromise
On December 24, the duo put forward the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, setting the stage for their common political agenda on regional linguistic identity and allegations that it is being threatened by ‘outsiders’. They explained how these forces want to detach Mumbai from Maharashtra. The scenario was similar to the call made by Balasaheb during the formation of Shiv Sena, citing the increasing threat of loss of livelihood and cultural identity of Maharashtrians. The Marathi manoos board unites people over linguistics rather than religion.
But where Balasaheb targeted people from south India and Gujaratis, the changing demographics of Mumbai and many immigrants from north India are the current ‘foreigners’. Rough estimates by political parties put Mumbai’s Marathi-speaking population at over 30%, in line with the 2011 Census.
“The original ideology of the formation of Shiv Sena was Marathi. manoo. Yes, other things happened after Balasaheb took the stand of Hindutva. But the Thackerays always had Marathi manoos in their hearts,” says Raut. Uddhav and Raj’s grandfather ‘Prabodhankar’ Thackeray was prominent in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, which eventually led to Mumbai leaving for Maharashtra in 1960.
Cousins did not ask many questions about the alliance for the January 15 local elections. “Who will fight in which seats, we will not tell you,” Raj told a room full of journalists at a hotel on the Worli promenade. The crowd dispersed.
Particularly important for the Shiv Sena (UBT) is the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election. Traditionally, the Thackerays controlled the BMC, the richest civic body in the country. Things changed in 2017 when the BJP got just two seats less than the Shiv Sena. Polls for BMC are pending since 2022.
Sources say that in the BMC elections, Uddhav’s party will contest 163 seats from 227 seats, while Raj will contest 53 seats. Sharad Pawar’s NCP, which is with Uddhav, is also seat-sharing with 11 people. “They wanted a respectable seat share. Our position is also challenging as we have established companies in many of these places. But Uddhavji decided to adapt,” says a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader.
“Raj Saheb told the party cadres that they should not drag things out. We are ready to compromise,” said an MNS leader. A total of 2,869 company partners will be elected in these ballot boxes, the results of which will be announced on January 16.
Reunion or reunion?
years of separation
Raj appeared to have inherited the aura and oratorical charm of his uncle Balasaheb. Balasaheb’s son Uddhav was known as the quiet organizational man who maintained discipline in the party. Raj had supported Uddhav’s name as the party’s working president in Mahabaleshwar in 2003 despite rising tensions between the cousins. This was a year after Balasaheb chose Uddhav as the executive chairman.
In 2005, Raj quit the Shiv Sena following a harsh public backlash and held a press conference to announce his resignation, saying in an emotionally laced tone: “All I wanted was respect… All I got was insults and humiliation.”
Referring to Balasaheb, whom his relatives call Vithhal, he added, “I have no complaints about my Vitthal. I have problems with the group that wants to control everything.” Violence followed as the squads felt divided between the two cousins. When Raut, now a peace broker, tried to persuade Raj not to quit the Shiv Sena, Raj’s angry supporters damaged and overturned Raut’s car.
Most of the old leaders had remained with Balasaheb and Uddhav and a few had gone with the Raj. The feeling among the Raj’s supporters was that he had been wronged, denied his right, and that he was the legitimate political heir of Balasaheb. Uddhav’s supporters said he was building organizational strength. At that time, some senior BJP leaders also tried to intervene to prevent the cousins from parting ways. It didn’t work.
The following year, Raj founded the Navnirman Sena. Murmurs arose again after the dispute between Shiv Sena and BJP in 2014, but Raj later blamed Uddhav for not responding.
In 2022, grassroots organizer Eknath Shinde left Uddhav, bagging 40 MLAs, to form the government with the BJP.
Uddhav and Raj often clashed with each other over modus operandi, leadership qualities and ideological strength. Uddhav believed that Raj was helping the BJP by cutting off Shiv Sena’s votes. “First they stole Bal Thackeray’s photo… Today they are trying to steal another Thackeray. Take it, me and my men are enough,” he said in 2024. Raj called Uddhav an “accidental Prime Minister”.
Blood and water under the bridge
But starting from the first quarter of 2025, something has changed. In separate public speeches, they said they were willing to put aside their issues ‘in the interest of Maharashtra’. This statement comes at a time when the political chances of both are diminishing as the BJP coalition is now in power in Maharashtra.
In the State Legislative Assembly elections held in 2024, Shiv Sena (UBT), which fielded candidates in more than 90 seats, won less than 10 percent, i.e. 20, of the 288 seats, which is the strength of the lower house. However, in the Lok Sabha elections held the same year, Shiv Sena (UBT) won nine of the 21 seats it offered to its candidates. Maharashtra has 48 seats in Parliament.
The MNS has suffered consistent legislative losses except for the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections, which were the party’s first State elections since its inception. So, out of 13 MLAs, the party has no representation in the Assembly. There was only one MLA in the 2014 and 2019 elections. MNS also has no representation in Parliament.
“When there is a threat from outside, the family unites. This is the tradition of Maharashtra. Here the family is united politically as well,” says Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab. “The cousins have different qualities. Raj’s oratory style is charismatic. For a political party to thrive, it needs to be disciplined and its organizational strength enhanced. Uddhav is doing it well,” adds Parab.
“Blood is thicker than water. After all, it is family that stands by each other. We have no reservations against Raj Saheb now,” says a Shiv Sena (UBT) party worker from Sion. He describes how he participated in violence between supporters of the two leaders outside the Shiv Sena Bhavan in 2006.
Another leader points to the family’s influence in Maharashtra’s conservative, regional and dynastic political landscape. Both the parties have so far fought for the same vote bank and faced off in the same segments where Marathi is strong.
next generation
In the first two phases of the city local body elections held last month, the Shiv Sena UBT secured the election of chairmen to nine of the 288 municipal councils and Nagar panchayats. “We do not attach importance to elections held with so much money power. We left these polls to our local cadres who could not stand the abuse of money and power. Over 100 million lira was spent by the ruling parties here. Where would we find this money?” says Raut.
On January 2, the last day of withdrawal of public elections candidacy, Uddhav’s son Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray; and Raj’s son Amit Thackeray of MNS organized a joint workshop for potential companies. Their main campaign pitch will be ₹1,500 monthly assistance for registered women domestic workers. They also announced their support for the women of the Koli fishing community and a reduction in property taxes.
The next day, 68 candidates from the Mahayuti alliance (BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), NCP (Ajit Pawar faction)) were left unopposed in the Maharashtra civic polls. This united the opposition, including the cousins. Now both Shiv Sena groups and MNS are fighting for the same pie.
vinaya.deshpande@thehindu.co.in
Edited by Sunalini Mathew.
