Uddhav and Raj Thackeray reunite: Shiv Sena–MNS alliance sealed ahead of BMC polls

Ending a 20-year rivalry, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray announce a Shiv Sena–MNS alliance for the January 15 civic polls, including the high-stakes BMC elections

PGurus Newsdesk

December 24, 2025

Uddhav and Raj Thackeray announce a joint front for civic elections across Maharashtra

After 20 years, Thackeray cousins join hands

Once estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray formally announced a political alliance on Wednesday, ending nearly two decades of rivalry ahead of the January 15 civic body elections in Maharashtra, including the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.

Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of the Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) will contest the upcoming civic elections together. The announcement was made at a public event in Mumbai, months after the cousins shared a stage in July for the first time in almost 20 years.

“Maharashtra was waiting for this day for a long time. I declare today that Shiv Sena and MNS are united,” Raj Thackeray said in Marathi, drawing loud cheers from supporters. He added that the interests of Maharashtra would remain paramount and asserted that Mumbai’s next mayor would be a Marathi leader from either his party or Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena faction.

Uddhav Thackeray echoed the sentiment, stating that while Marathi people are generally peace-loving, “if someone crosses their path, they are not spared.”

While the alliance has been formally announced, uncertainty remains over seat-sharing arrangements for elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra. The BMC, India’s richest civic body, remains the central prize. Sources have previously indicated differences between the two parties over seat allocation in areas such as Dadar, Mahim, Borivali, Vikhroli, Bhandup, and Sewri.

Uddhav Thackeray also said discussions were underway with the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), indicating the possibility of a broader opposition front in the civic polls.

Beyond Mumbai, the alliance will also focus on key municipal corporations in Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, and Nashik.

The reunion traces back to July this year, when the cousins set aside their long-standing differences and came together over their shared emphasis on Marathi pride. The joint rally in Mumbai’s Worli was framed as a celebration of the Maharashtra government’s decision to scrap the proposal to introduce Hindi as a compulsory third language from Class 1, a move the two leaders had strongly opposed as “Hindi imposition.”

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