The real twist came on Thursday morning when Raj Thackeray and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a closed-door meeting at a posh hotel in Bandra. With Mumbai’s high-stakes municipal elections nearing, this meeting is seen as a potential ‘game changer’ to give a check to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).
For months, the two parties have displayed signs of reconciliation at the grassroots level. MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) functionaries have been seen engaging cordially at multiple forums, sparking speculation of a potential tie-up that could reshape Marathi politics in the city. Though Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray did not reveal anything about the meeting, speculation that the Raj Thackeray-led MNS may get support from the BJP and Mahayuti in the upcoming BMC elections has set off a political buzz in the city.
In the recent past, Raj Thackeray had invited Deputy CM and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde to his residence, and later, Shinde’s close confidant and Industries Minister Uday Samant also met Raj Thackeray, fuelling speculation that Raj and Shinde may join hands to keep Uddhav away. Later, in a podcast interview with an online platform, Raj said he was ready to set aside differences with his cousin Uddhav Thackeray for the betterment of Maharashtra and the Marathi Manoos.
From that moment, talks of Uddhav and Raj coming together started, with both leaders giving positive signals. Party workers even put up banners in several areas of Mumbai urging both to unite. But despite the camaraderie on the street, there has been no formal dialogue or proposal exchange between Raj and Uddhav Thackeray. Party insiders confirm that the two leaders have neither met nor instructed their teams to initiate alliance talks—at least not yet. Sources suggest both sides are deliberately holding back, waiting for the State Election Commission to announce the municipal election dates before taking any decisive step.
Thursday’s meeting between Raj Thackeray and CM Fadnavis is being seen as a masterstroke by Devendra Fadnavis. Findings of a recent survey conducted by VoteVibe, a private company, show that the BJP has a clear edge in the upcoming BMC elections, but if the Thackeray cousins join forces, they could pose a tough challenge to the BJP by potentially consolidating the Marathi vote in Mumbai. According to sources, the closed-door meeting between Raj Thackeray and CM Fadnavis was not just a courtesy call but certainly had some political agenda.
In this scenario, questions have been raised over whether Raj Thackeray has received an offer from the BJP to keep Shiv Sena (UBT) away. The Raj Thackeray-led MNS did not contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and extended support to PM Modi. During the state assembly elections, Raj Thackeray was not included in the Mahayuti alliance and contested alone against both factions of Shiv Sena but failed to find success. It now appears that with the help of the BJP, Raj is keen to re-establish his party in the BMC.
Following the Raj Thackeray-Fadnavis meeting, various leaders from the Mahayuti and Mahavikas Aghadi reacted. According to NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar, Raj Thackeray meeting Eknath Shinde, then showing willingness to join hands with Uddhav Thackeray, and now meeting Devendra Fadnavis could be a political tactic to increase his bargaining power just before the upcoming local body elections. Shiv Sena leader and minister Uday Samant termed this meeting a “coincidence.”
Later, MNS leaders and close confidants of Raj Thackeray, Sandeep Deshpande and Ameya Khopkar, held a meeting with Minister Uday Samant, hinting that the much-talked-about possible tie-up with Shiv Sena (UBT) may be off the table, indicating that MNS has begun its negotiations with the Mahayuti. After the meeting, both leaders said it was regarding a project related to Panvel town and not about alliance talks.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar expressed that, “BJP can’t afford the reunion of the Thackeray brothers. Marathi Manoos wants this alliance, and if the family is going to come together, Congress will support that. But if Raj Thackeray is holding alliance talks with Mahayuti, then his credibility is at stake.” He further stated that while an MNS-BJP alliance may not happen, an MNS-Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) alliance may materialise just to keep Uddhav Thackeray away.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has kicked off the ward delimitation process, signalling that elections—especially to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)—may be declared soon. The state has directed restructuring of wards for A, B, and C category municipal corporations, including Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli. Mumbai will retain its 227 single-member ward format, while most other corporations will shift to a four-member ward model.
As ward boundaries are redrawn and poll dates approach, the pressure on Raj and Uddhav to either act or abandon the idea of unity is intensifying. Supporters of both camps argue that the time for symbolic gestures is over—it is time for political clarity. Will the cousins join hands and present a united Thackeray front, or will they walk solo into another make-or-break BMC election? The countdown has begun, but the decision still hangs in political suspense.
