Thackeray Cousins Patch-Up Buzz Intensifies As Brothers Met Abroad For Discussions: Sources

Last Updated:June 10, 2025, 13:58 IST

The Thackeray brothers were on a foreign tour in April when they both held discussions on a possible alliance ahead of the BMC polls.

Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray (PTI/File)

Thackeray cousins alliance: Amid the ongoing speculations over a possible tie-up between Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, the estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray reportedly met abroad last month and held discussions about the alliance, sources said.

The Thackeray brothers were on a foreign tour in April when they both held discussions on a possible alliance ahead of the BMC polls.

For the past few days, speculations have been rife about a possible alliance between the Uddhav and Raj Thackeray after they recently hinted at the possibility of setting aside past differences and working together for the people of Maharashtra, nearly two decades after parting ways.

Recently, addressing the reporters, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said there was no confusion among the workers of either party. “There is no confusion in our and our Shiv Sainiks’ hearts. There is no confusion in his (MNS) mind either. We will not give any message, we will give the news directly," Uddhav said.

Meanwhile, Raj Thackeray hinted towards joining hands with his cousin brother for the interest of the Marathi manoos (Marathi-speaking people).

Notably, the MNS in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections supported the BJP in Maharashtra, but six months later, both parties fought the state Assembly polls separately.

Raj Thackeray left the undivided Shiv Sena in 2005 when he resigned from the party and announced MNS on March 9, 2006 in Mumbai. Since then, their political paths were different.

This is not the first time the news of a reunion between the cousins has captivated Maharashtra. After Raj’s departure from Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, senior Sena workers and Thackeray family members made several attempts to reunite the two for the betterment of ‘Marathi manoos’ and ‘Maharashtra’.

The last such attempt was made during the 2017 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, when talks were initiated but failed to gain traction from Uddhav. He declined to meet the emissary sent by Raj, insisting on a meeting with his deputies instead.

Currently, both Shiv Sena UBT and MNS are fighting for political survival. The MNS faces a more precarious situation, having struggled to secure significant support from the people of Maharashtra in general and assembly elections since 2014.

News politics Thackeray Cousins Patch-Up Buzz Intensifies As Brothers Met Abroad For Discussions: Sources