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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Uddhav, Raj Thackeray to contest municipal elections together: Sanjay Raut
Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said that his party chief Uddhav Thackeray, and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray will unite for the upcoming municipal elections. In July, Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray shared a stage at the Worli Dome in Mumbai as they held a joint rally (AFP) "Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray will contest municipal elections together and win. The combined strength of Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, along with the unity of the Marathi people, is the key to victory in elections," Sanjay Raut said. In July, Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray shared a stage at the Worli Dome in Mumbai as they held a joint rally after the Maharashtra government scrapped two Government Resolutions (GRs) to introduce Hindi as the third language. The Thackeray brothers garlanded the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at a joint rally of their parties, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), at the Worli Dome in Mumbai. While addressing the 'Awaz Marathicha' joint rally in Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said that he has come to "stay together" with his brother Raj Thackeray. "We have come together to stay together", Uddhav Thackeray said while addressing the gathering. The BMC elections are expected to be held in October this year.
News18
3 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Uddhav, Raj Thackeray will contest municipal elections together: Sanjay Raut
Nashik (Maharashtra) [India], August 15 (ANI): Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said that his party chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray will unite for the upcoming municipal elections. 'Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray will contest municipal elections together and win. The combined strength of Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, along with the unity of the Marathi people, is the key to victory in elections," Sanjay Raut said. In July, Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray shared a stage at the Worli Dome in Mumbai as they held a joint rally after the Maharashtra government scrapped two Government Resolutions (GRs) to introduce Hindi as the third Thackeray brothers garlanded the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at a joint rally of their parties, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), at the Worli Dome in addressing the 'Awaz Marathicha' joint rally in Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said that he has come to 'stay together" with his brother Raj Thackeray.'We have come together to stay together", Uddhav Thackeray said while addressing the BMC elections are expected to be held in October this year. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sena (UBT), MNS workers cautious about reunion buzz
MUMBAI: The Thackeray cousins may have caused a stir in the corridors of power with broad hints of a possible reunion ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, but grassroots activists from both Uddhav and Raj's parties – Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), respectively – seem unwilling to share their leaders' enthusiasm. Mumbai, India, July 05, 2025: Raj Thackeray, Chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), and Uddhav Thackeray, Chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), reunited after 20 years at a public rally at NSCI Dome, Worli in Mumbai. The event, titled "Awaj Marathicha" (Voice of the Marathi), was jointly organised by Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS to mark the withdrawal of government resolutions (GRs) related to the three-language policy in primary schools. Mumbai, India. 05, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Raju Shinde) While the 'bhai-bhai' saga has sustained since the time both joined forces to celebrate the state government withdrawing its plan to impose Hindi as a compulsory third language in primary schools, party workers have nursed two doubts: firstly, will the alliance really happen, and secondly, even if they do manage to come together, will they be able to garner a sizeable chunk of wards in a 227-strong city hall and keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at bay? BMC is the country's richest civic body, its annual budget for 2025 pegged at ₹74,427 crore. While the BJP has its eyes on BMC, it has for over four decades been a lifeline for Matoshree's Shiv Sena. Uddhav and Raj need to retain it, if only to celebrate Sena founder Bal Thackeray's legacy. Many Shiv Sainiks and MNS workers HT spoke to, downplayed MNS chief Raj Thackeray's recent visit to Matoshree to greet Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on his 65th birthday, even though the meeting further fuelled the reunion rumours. A Shiv Sainik said, 'Raj saheb has affection for Balasaheb Thackeray, Matoshree and the family. However, noble gestures need to translate into action and a cohesive poll strategy.' Many workers like him wince at Raj's unpredictable style of politics, especially his flip-flops with the BJP during the 2019 and 2024 general elections. They also worry about Raj's lack of consistency on the issue of north Indian migrants. Karyakartas of both parties, however, hold a unanimous view that Thackerays should play the Marathi card in the wake of the Jain community's growing urge to display its new-found clout in Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The Jain-Marathi equations have been strained following the former's aggressive pro-vegetarian crusade in many parts of the city. On Wednesday, a band of 1,000 Jain devotees took out a protest march to the kabutarkhana, in Dadar, to condemn the ban on pigeon feeding. A section of protestors tried to pull down the tarpaulin covering at the site to feed pigeons. 'The incident has angered local Marathis. The Jains may end up bringing Uddhav saheb and Raj saheb together,' said Shiv Sainik from Dadar. Sceptics in the ranks however point out that such sporadic instances hardly provide an ideological framework and organisational muscle for the two beleaguered parties to merge into a strong force. Sounding a dark note, a Sena (UBT) activist from the western suburbs also said workers are wary of breaking bread with MNS as 'old wounds run deep'. 'Raj saab left the Shiv Sena in 2006 and built his party from scratch. We have also moved on, but the bitterness rankles. We can't forget that he left Sena at a time when the party had hit a rough patch – we had lost power both in the state and Centre,' he said. A Sena (UBT) activist said, with both parties targeting the city's Marathi voters – pegged at 25-27% -- distribution of seats will be a challenge. Evidently, both Uddhav and Raj will concentrate on Marathi pocket boroughs such as Girgaon, Girangaon (the Lalbaug-Parel-Sewri-Chinchpokli belt, the erstwhile textile mill hub); Dadar, Mahim, and the suburban Goregaon-Malad-Magathane-Dahisar-Gorai stretches on the western side. The Kurla-Vikhroli-Bhandup-Kanjur Marg-Chembur villages, which dot the Central Railway route, also have a thick concentration of Marathi voters, most of them migrants from Konkan and western Maharashtra. Another bone of contention between the two parties, said an MNS worker, will be the transfer of votes. 'The post-1995 generation of karyakartas of both parties belong to Mumbai's aspirational class, who wish to enter BMC at any cost. Having done organisational work, they will not give up their claim on a civic ward of their choice. Under such circumstances I can't ask my workers to back Uddhav saheb's candidates and the same is true about them,' said a senior MNS functionary from Dahisar. A former BMC official, Prakash Paranjpe, spoke in a similar vein, saying, 'With too many contestants across party lines throwing their hats in the ring, the civic election will fuel fierce competition at the grassroots level, triggering intra-party rivalry and defection. Sena (UBT) and MNS need to ensure smooth transfer of votes.' Sena (UBT) is already on a sticky wicket, with over 120 of its former corporators and functionaries having defected to Shiv Sena. On the other hand, while it is rumoured that BJP is eyeing a few MNS functionaries ahead of the civic elections, peeved by the state government's latest decision to go soft on the pigeon feeding at kabutarkhanas, Mumbai BJP's Marathi workers may resent their party's growing proximity with Mumbai's mercantile community, which may prove favourable for the Thackerays' 'double engine' should the alliance be forged.
Indian Express
02-08-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Maharashtra govt trying to erase Marathi: Uddhav
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Maharashtra government, accusing it of systematically attempting to marginalise the Marathi language and culture. Speaking at his Bandra residence 'Matoshree', Thackeray also took aim at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, dubbing him a 'helpless' leader who failed to act against ministers facing corruption allegations. Thackeray was addressing party workers during a function to announce the merger of Raju Shetti-led Shetkari Kranti Sanghatana with the Sena (UBT). 'Despite clear evidence presented by the Opposition regarding corruption involving several ministers, the government has merely issued warnings. I have never seen a chief minister as helpless as this. No one in this administration is accountable,' Thackeray said. He cited the example of NCP minister Manikrao Kokate, who has been under fire for allegedly playing online rummy during a session of the Legislative Council and making insensitive remarks about farmers. Kokate was quietly shifted from the agriculture department to the sports and youth welfare portfolio late on Thursday. However, Thackeray said the move was 'cosmetic' and demanded his resignation. The Sena (UBT) has also been demanding the dismissal of ministers Sanjay Shirsat, Sanjay Rathod and Yogesh Kadam — all from the rival Shiv Sena faction — over various graft allegations. Thackeray announced that his party will hold state-wide agitations to protest against what he described as a 'corrupt and indifferent' government. Later in the day, speaking at 'Shivalay', the Sena UBT's office near Mantralaya, Thackeray turned his focus to the controversy over language policy, claiming the government was trying to dilute Marathi's place in the state. 'We harbour no hatred towards any language, but do not impose another language on us. The government is trying to finish Marathi in Maharashtra,' he said. His remarks were in reference to two contentious Government Resolutions (GRs) introducing a three-language policy for Classes 1 to 5, including the mandatory introduction of Hindi. Following intense backlash and a rare show of unity between Uddhav and his cousin Raj Thackeray, the GRs were rolled back last month. The cousins had addressed a joint rally on July 5 to mark the rollback. 'The rollback happened because Maharashtra stood up. We will not allow anyone to trample over our culture and our identity,' Uddhav said.
Time of India
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
No one can separate Mumbai from the Thackeray brand: Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey hails Uddhav-Raj meetup
Following Raj Thackeray's visit to Uddhav Thackeray on his 65th birthday, Shiv Sena UBT leader Anand Dubey emphasized the enduring connection between Mumbai and the Thackeray name, while subtly criticizing Eknath Shinde's faction. The meeting occurred after the Thackeray brothers' joint rally against the imposition of Hindi, where they celebrated a victory. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Mumbai: Shiv Sena UBT leader Anand Dubey on Sunday expressed happiness after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray met Uddhav Thackeray at his residence on his 65th Dubey said that no one can "separate" Mumbai from the "Thackeray" brand. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also took an indirect dig at Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde , referring to the 2022 Shiv Sena split."They can steal anything, but they cannot steal people. The people are continuously coming here. Everyone is saying that we are with Thackeray Sahab. No one can separate Mumbai from the Thackeray Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray are brothers, so they will definitely meet with each other...", he earlier on Sunday, Raj Thackeray met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's residence, Matoshree, on Sunday and extended birthday the visuals, Shiv Sena (UBT) wrote on X, "Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Rajsaheb Thackeray extended birthday greetings to party chief Uddhavsaheb Thackeray."This meeting follows the Thackeray brothers' joint rally on July 5, in which they declared their victory against the alleged imposition of Hindi by the Maharashtra shared a hug at the Worli Dome in Mumbai at their 'Awaz Marathicha' joint rally after the Maharashtra government scrapped two Government Resolutions (GRs) to introduce Hindi as the third as Uddhav Thackeray turned 65 today, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi extended wishes and wrote on X, "Heartfelt birthday wishes and congratulations to Shiv Sena President and INDIA alliance partner Uddhav Thackeray ji. May you stay healthy, live long, and together we will fight for the interests and rights of the people of Maharashtra."
