It's official. Estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray on 24 December announced a tie-up for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray made the official announcement at a joint press conference in Mumbai.
“We have come together to stay together,” Uddhav Thackeray said, addressing a press conference with Raj Thackeray.
Before announcing their alliance on Wednesday, Uddhav and Raj paid tribute to Bal Thackeray at Shivaji Park memorial. “The day entire Maharashtra was waiting for is here: Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have reunited,” Raj Thackeray said.
There was no official announcement regarding seat-sharing for the BMC polls scheduled for 15 January 2023. However, Uddhav-led Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest 150 seats, while the Raj-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) will field candidates in the remaining 77 seats, as per reports. The BMC has 227 seats.
The other key poll-bound corporations include Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli and Nashik.
We have come together to stay together.
In 2006, Raj was miffed over his cousin Uddhav's elevation as the undivided Sena’s working president. He walked out of the party and floated the MNS. The reunion of Thackeray cousins after two decades could mark a tectonic shift in Mumbai's political landscape.
‘Thackeray vs The Rest’
The BMC election may become a virtual ‘Thackeray vs The Rest’ contest, creating a new set of challenges and opportunities for the major players: the BJP and the Congress.
For the united Thackerays, the BMC will certainly be a battle for the survival of the family brand. A defeat in the BMC—the source of the Sena's financial and organisational power for decades—would be a near-fatal blow.
Marathi vs Non-Marathi
For years, Thackerays have championed the cause of the Marathi manoos.
Marathi speakers, considered core Thackeray supporters, comprise about 26 per cent of Mumbai’s population. Muslims, about 11 per cent of the city’s population, are also likely to align with non-BJP forces. This, analysts feel, should worry the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The alliance means the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti will have to rethink its strategy for the 15 January polls for elections to the 29 civic bodies in Maharashtra, including the high-stakes contest for the BMC.
The BJP-led Mahayuti secured 207 of the 288 local bodies, while the Congress and the Sena (UBT) won 28 and 9, respectively, in the recently held local body elections in Maharashtra.
