Former’s party wanted to use 2017 numbers as basis of talks, latter disagreed
(From left) MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) president. FILE PIC/RANE ASHISH
The meeting between cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray on Thursday is seen as an attempt by Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to resolve seat-sharing issues that had arisen during their very first meeting. Last week, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS chiefs met to initiate talks between the two parties. However, according to leaders from both camps, they had a disagreement over the ground that one needs to consider before commencing the division of seats.
If party leaders are to be believed, Sena (UBT) insisted that the 2017 numbers should be used as the base for beginning the talks. But the MNS was of a different view and wanted to start afresh, without digging too much into the parameters of the past results. Though there was no official communication from both parties about the meeting, many see Uddhav Thackeray’s visit to Raj at the latter's residence in Shivaji Park, Dadar, on Thursday as an attempt to end the deadlock.
Ram Naik, senior BJP leader. File pic/Rane Ashish
In the 2017 BMC elections, [undivided] Shiv Sena won 84 of the 227 wards. Of the seven MNS corporators elected that year, six subsequently left Raj Thackeray and joined the Shiv Sena. Sources close to the Thackeray cousins say Shiv Sena (UBT) claimed its wants seat-sharing talks to ignore these 90 seats, except for a few that might be swapped, but the MNS has objected to the same.
“A fresh ward lottery was done this year, and nearly 49 [undivided] Shiv Sena corporators from 2017 have now joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Considering this, seat-sharing should start from scratch,” a senior Sena leader said on condition of anonymity. With no solution in sight, the Thackeray cousins are said to have met to find an amicable solution so that seat-sharing talks can proceed. The Thackeray cousins’ meeting lasted for over an hour.
Elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and 28 other civic bodies, including Kalyan-Dombivli, Thane, Mira-Bhayander, and Navi Mumbai, are scheduled before January 31, 2026, as the deadline set by the Supreme Court to complete local body elections in Maharashtra. The BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena are aiming to take control of the BMC, Asia’s richest civic body, from the Thackeray camp. The undivided Shiv Sena and the BJP had ruled the BMC together for 25 years, but in 2017 they contested separately. Now, this civic election has become a do-or-die battle for the Thackeray cousins.
For Uddhav, keeping hold of the BMC is important to protect the influence of the Shiv Sena, a party founded in 1966 in Mumbai to fight for Marathi rights. For Raj, whose vote share fell below two per cent in the 2024 Assembly polls and who couldn’t win even a single seat, this election is crucial to keep himself and his party relevant.
At the fag end of 2005, Raj, citing differences with his cousin, had quit the Shiv Sena. The following year, he floated his own party, the MNS. In 2024, when the Mahayuti government tried to introduce Hindi as a third language in all classes and schools across Maharashtra, both Uddhav and Raj agreed to bury their differences and unite for the cause of Marathi and Maharashtra’s pride. The reunion of Thackeray cousins and strong opposition to the introduction of Hindi forced the BJP-led Mahyuti government to cancel the decision and appoint a committee to study the issue.
Nonagenarian BJP leader advises Union minister
Veteran BJP leader Ram Naik, 91, has urged the Opposition not to politicise Union Minister Jitendra Singh’s recent remarks about “Bombay” for political gain. Naik led the effort to officially change the city’s name from Bombay to Mumbai. In a letter addressed to Singh, Naik mentioned that this has not gone well with him and he expected the minister to withdraw his remarks.
In a communication to the media, Naik stated that Singh might be unaware of the full history and would withdraw his statement once informed. A day earlier, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that he would write a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and HRD (Education) minister requesting him to make the necessary change in the name of one of the prestigious educational institutes in Mumbai.
Singh had sparked the controversy by stating, “I thank God that IIT Bombay’s name was not changed to Mumbai.” Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders strongly criticised the minister’s remark, claiming that it reflected the intention and mindset of the BJP and its leaders.
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