Addressing a joint press conference in Mumbai, Raj Thackeray said the alliance was formed with a clear message. “Maharashtra is bigger than any quarrel. We are announcing today that we are together. The mayor of Mumbai will be a Marathi and will be ours,” he said. Uddhav Thackeray echoed the sentiment, stating that division had only weakened Marathi political influence. “Our thinking is the same. If we remain divided, we will be scattered. We are united for Maharashtra,” he said.
Before making the announcement, both leaders visited the Balasaheb Thackeray memorial at Shivaji Park and paid tribute to the Shiv Sena founder, underlining the symbolic importance of the reunion.
The alliance marks the first formal political understanding between the two parties since Raj Thackeray broke away from the Shiv Sena in 2005 to form the MNS. While the brothers shared a stage earlier this year at the Maratha Unity Rally in July, Wednesday’s announcement confirms a full-fledged electoral partnership for the civic polls scheduled in January. Voting for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the BMC and Pune Municipal Corporation, will take place on January 15, with results to be declared on January 16.
The reunion is expected to have a major impact on Mumbai’s political landscape. Until now, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS had split the Marathi vote, indirectly benefiting rivals. Their coming together could consolidate Marathi-speaking voters, posing a challenge to the BJP, which enjoys strong support among urban, Gujarati and North Indian communities, as well as to the Congress and the NCP, both of which now face the risk of political marginalisation in the civic contest.
The move also puts pressure on Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, which claims to be the “real” Shiv Sena. The Thackeray brothers’ unity could raise questions among traditional Sena supporters about legitimacy and leadership, particularly in Mumbai’s core Marathi-dominated areas.
Control of the BMC remains a high-stakes battle. Asia’s richest municipal corporation, with a budget of around ₹74,000 crore, the BMC has long been a power centre in Maharashtra politics. The undivided Shiv Sena ruled the civic body for nearly two decades, often in alliance with the BJP. Losing control of the BMC after the 2022 political split was a major setback for Uddhav Thackeray, and the new alliance is seen as an attempt to reclaim that ground.
The political rift between the cousins dates back to the early 2000s, when leadership succession within the Shiv Sena led to Raj Thackeray’s exit. He formally launched the MNS in 2006, positioning it as a party focused on Marathi identity and regional pride.
With the civic elections approaching, the Thackeray reunion signals a recalibration of alliances in Maharashtra. Beyond municipal governance, the outcome is widely viewed as a test of political credibility and a preview of future battles in the state’s evolving power equation.
