Amid talk of reunion of Thackeray cousins, Fadnavis meets with Raj Thackeray
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had a hush-hush meeting with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray at a Mumbai hotel on Thursday amid the talk of the latter's reconciliation with his estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray, people aware of the matter said.
The people said the meeting was not mentioned in Fadnavis's schedule. They added that Thackeray arrived at the hotel around 9.40am, and Fadnavis 40 minutes later. The meeting lasted about an hour, sparking speculation that Fadnavis was trying to prevent Uddhav and Raj Thackeray's reconciliation, as it is expected to consolidate the Marathi vote bank ahead of the Mumbai civic polls.
Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray are believed to have explored the possibility of including the MNS in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition and a seat adjustment. Neither Fadnavis nor Raj Thackeray commented on the meeting.
MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande said he did not know why they met and what they discussed. 'I cannot comment.'
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar said that Raj Thackeray has said they could come together for the benefit of Maharashtra. He added that Uddhav Thackeray gave a positive response. 'A poll of Marathis shows 86% want two cousins to come together. There is a positive atmosphere between Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS...'
Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat said it was wrong to draw conclusions about the meeting. He added they are also interested in an alliance with the MNS.
In April, Raj Thackeray spoke about uniting with his cousin in the interest of Marathis. In a podcast, he said that he had no issues working with Uddhav Thackeray in the undivided Shiv Sena. He said that for a bigger cause, their fights and issues are trivial.
At a separate event, Uddhav Thackeray said he was ready to put aside 'trivial' fights provided that those working against Maharashtra's interests were not entertained. He appealed to everyone to come together for the sake of the Marathi people. Uddhav Thackeray said his cousin should not host anti-Maharashtra people and parties anymore.
The comment came after Shinde, who engineered the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena to join the BJP-led alliance, visited Raj Thackeray's residence. Uddhav Thackeray said Raj Thackeray cannot support the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls and oppose it during the assembly elections, and compromise. The MNS has switched sides multiple times.
Raj Thackeray quit the undivided Shiv Sena in January 2006, blaming Uddhav Thackeray for promoting him to do that. He formed the MNS, which won 13 seats in the 2009 assembly elections. The MNS's performance has since been dismal. It failed to win any seats in the 2024 assembly polls.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena is a key partner of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. MNS has backed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
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