Uddhav Thackeray interview | ‘Not in a battle of survival, fight is against the BJP’
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday, January 9, 2026, expressed his displeasure with the Congress, which broke with his party for the civic body elections to be held in Mumbai and 28 other cities of Maharashtra. “You should ask Congress. They suddenly cut ties with us without even talking to me. Why did they do that?” he asked during a private conversation with Hindu. He also attacked the BJP. “They accused me of abandoning Hindutva when I had to join hands with the Congress after they stabbed me in the back. Then why did the BJP abandon Hindutva in Ambarnath?”
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader was referring to the Ambernath Municipal Council, where 12 Maharashtra Congress councilors were suspended from office for allying with the BJP. When asked about the fate Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) He said he wants to see all those fighting against the BJP in Maharashtra and the INDIA bloc at the national level joining hands.
He expressed confidence in Shiv Sena’s (UBT) victory in the elections. Asked if he would like to see the Pawar family reunited too, Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, who recently reunited with his cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray, said he would like to see families everywhere “reunited”. Asked about the impact of his compromise with Mr Raj Thackeray on the 2029 elections, he said: “I don’t want to speculate. I see a good impact. Why should I think otherwise?”
Elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the richest civic body in the country, will be held on January 15. More than 1,700 candidates are in the fray in 227 regions and counting will take place on January 16. The Thackerays came together after a gap of two decades, leading to the Congress’s exit from the State alliance, citing the MNS’s anti-immigrant stance. However, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) remained with the Shiv Sena (UBT) in Mumbai, although the party has traditionally had a negligible presence in Mumbai. Meanwhile decision Mahayuti It is running as a single bloc.
‘It’s not a fight for survival for the Thackerays’
When asked if it was the struggle for survival that brought the two cousins together, Thackeray dismissed such claims, maintaining that his family has traditionally fought for Marathi pride and will continue to do so.
“If you look at the history of Shiv Sena since its inception, we have lost more elections than we have won. I do not agree that it is a ‘battle for survival’ for us. Election victories and losses happen. On the other hand, the BJP wants to end the Shiv Sena because it wants to have complete control over Mumbai and hand it over to the ‘masters in Delhi’. But the Thackerays have always stood with Mumbai and Marathi since the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. Thackeray legacy is Maharashtra, Marathis.” and represents Hindutva. At a time when the BJP is wearing the mask of Hindutva to end Marathi pride and identity, two brothers fighting for Marathis need to join hands,” he said.
Also Read | Uddhav: BJP will not allow imposition of Hindi in Maharashtra, trying to create language divide
against the imposition of Hindi
Expressing his dismay towards the BJP, he said he would fight against the Thackerays’ “dictatorship” that aims to impose “one language, one party and one election”. Citing the example of the party’s struggle against the government’s decision to implement a three-language policy in primary education, he said that local language and culture should be respected and Hindi should not be imposed.
“Do not impose Hindi on us. We can speak Hindi. But we will not tolerate dictatorship. We believe in unity in diversity. You cannot impose one language, one party on everyone. This is unacceptable,” he said.
Marathi Mayor
Amidst the BJP’s narrative that “any Khan can become the Mayor of Mumbai” if the Shiv Sena (UBT) wins the BMC elections, he said only Marathi can become the Mayor of Mumbai. “We do not want a Marathi Mayor in Gujarat. So far Shiv Sena has given 23 Mayors to Mumbai and all of them were Marathi. When the BJP tries to divert the narrative it is futile. We will win and Mumbai will have a Marathi Mayor,” he said. “I want to ask Mr. Fadnavis: ‘Are you Marathi or not? Are you Hindu or not?'”
Threat to regional ambitions
Mr. Uddhav Thackeray said that the BJP is a threat to regional objectives across the country. “Our fight is similar to this [Tamil Nadu Chief Minister] Mr. Stalin is fighting against him in Tamil Nadu and [Bengal Chief Minister] Mrs Mamata Banerjee in Bengal. But if you look at the current scenario, Congress has joined hands with BJP. BJP went to AIMIM. Who is fighting against the BJP?” he asked.
‘Use and throw away for Shinde’
Mr. Uddhav Thackeray said that the process of sidelining Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has begun and this is reflected in the Ambarnath situation as well. “Raj and I came together to rally the Marathi votes. But Grim [traitor] This is being used by Delhi to split the vote. Gujarat wants to capture Mumbai, so Shinde is used. They will throw it away after use like they did in Thane. Now BJP Minister Ganesh Naik has revealed FSI [Floor Space Index] Scam in Navi Mumbai. Against whom? “This is clear,” he said.
He said his party’s vision for Mumbai is clean air, better public infrastructure and water availability. “We are showcasing the work we have done in Mumbai for all these years with our campaign Karun Dakhavla [We have done it].”
It was published – 10 January 2026 02:02 IST
