Thane: After Sena UBT and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) hold a mega joint rally at Dadar's Shivaji Park on Sunday, the Thackeray cousins, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, are set to address an election rally in Eknath Shinde’s stronghold, Thane, on Monday, January 12. The Thane rally was confirmed by MNS president Raj Thackeray on January 8.
"Uddhav Thackeray and I will address a joint rally in Thane on January 12," he said as quoted by news agency PTI.
Eknath Shinde and Thane
Eknath Shinde, who was part of the undivided Shiv Sena, was introduced to politics in the early 1980s by Thane Shiv Sena President Anand Dighe and later succeeded his legacy after Dighe died in 2001. Shinde was first elected as a corporator in 1997's Thane Municipal Corporation elections and re-elected in 2002.
Coming to the 2017 civic polls, the undivided Shiv Sena had won 67 of 131 seats and formed the civic body alone. After the party split in 2022, 66 of those corporators joined Shinde. According to reports, ahead of the current TMC elections 2026, six Shinde Sena candidates have already been elected unopposed, giving his faction an early advantage and making the upcoming Uddhav and Raj Thackeray rally crucial to regain influence in Thane.
What Happened In 2017 TMC Polls?
During the 2017 TMC polls, the undivided Shiv Sena had won the highest number of seats with 67, followed by the undivided NCP with 34 seats, the BJP secured 23 seats, while Congress, AIMIM won 3 and 2 seats respectively. Not just 2017, even in the 2012 polls, the undivided Sena emerged as the party with the top number of seats at 53, followed by the undivided NCP at 34. The Congress won 18 seats, the BJP had secured 8 seats, while MNS and BSP had secured 7 and 2 seats, respectively.
Issues In TMC
Severe traffic congestion, potholes are among the main issues faced by citizens under the TMC. At least 18 people died between January and October 2025 due to potholes in Thane. On December 16, following Bombay High Court directions, the TMC formed a special committee to verify and compensate victims of accidents caused by potholes and open manholes.
In October, Sena UBT and Raj Thackeray had also held a joint protest against the Thane Civic Body's mismanagement. MNS leader Avinash Jadhav and Sena (UBT) leader and former Lok Sabha MP Rajan Vichare had alleged that TMC has been plagued by years of mismanagement, rampant corruption, and neglect of basic infrastructure.
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