BMC polls: Estranged Thackeray cousins Uddhav & Raj to come together? Read here

Will the estranged brothers Uddhav and Raj Thackeray come together? The buzz is getting louder after the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray’s wife Sharmila Thackeray said let there be a proposal from Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray. Even though Sharmila did not rule out the possibility of Uddhav and Raj joining hands ahead of BMC elections, she said, ‘’Let there be a call, and let us see then.’’

Her statement is important especially after the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led maha Vikas Aghadi government after the rebellion staged by Eknath Shinde and when the Thackeray faction is striving hard for its survival.

MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar on Monday said the party chief Raj Thackeray will make the party’s position clear at the press conference slated for Tuesday. ’’Raj Thackeray will take a call on any such matter,’’ he added. Many efforts have been made in the past for this,’’ he noted.

Insiders from the Thackeray faction and MNS hinted that as Uddhav Thackeray has launched the party’s rejuvenation and revival ahead of the crucial BMC elections to retain its supremacy, he may explore an option of extending the olive branch to the estranged cousin Raj. They claimed that if both Thackerays come together they will certainly give a tough fight to BJP and Shinde camp which have announced to win the BMC polls.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday launched BJP’s campaign for BMC elections in a bid to achieve its Mission 2022 to unseat Shiv Sena and win the mayoral election. Fadnavis has claimed that BJP with Shiv Sena (Shinde camp) will emerge victorious as it was determined to remove corruption and launch Mumbai Development League after assuming power in BMC.

On his part, Uddhav Thackeray has stepped up his communication with the party cadre asking them to increase the outreach to voters for winning the BMC elections. He proposes to checkmate BJP by luring Marathi Manoos and playing up Hindutva.