Uddhav and Raj Thackeray Announce Alliance for Mumbai Civic Elections

Mumbai: Cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray on Wednesday joined hands for the upcoming civic body polls in Mumbai and vowed to stay “permanently together.”

The announcement came at an event in Mumbai on Wednesday, months after their big show of unity in July, when the two cousins shared a stage for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Uddhav Thackeray's faction of Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) will contest the upcoming January 15 civic elections together.

Speaking on the development, Raj Thackeray said that Maharashtra was eagerly waiting for this day.

“Maharashtra was waiting for this day for a long time. I declare today that Shiv Sena and MNS are united,” Raj Thackeray said amid cheers from the public.

He further said he would always keep the interests of Maharashtra above everything else.

Raj Thackeray also promised that the mayor of Mumbai would be a Marathi person and someone from either his or Uddhav’s party. Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray said, “Marathi people normally don't trouble others but if someone crosses their path they are not spared.”

Even though the alliance is announced, the seat distribution for elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra is yet to finalised.

Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is a key part of the upcoming polls. Earlier reports said there were disagreements between Raj and Uddhav's parties over seats in Dadar, Mahim, Borivali, Vikhroli, Bhandup, and Sewri areas of Mumbai. During the alliance announcement, Uddhav also mentioned that talks were ongoing with NCP (SP).

In July this year, Raj and Uddhav Thackeray decided to put their differences aside, ending a political rivalry of 20 years. The cousins found common ground in their parties’ Marathi pride roots and reunited against what they called “Hindi imposition” in the state.

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