Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 27: In a fresh display of rapprochement, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray visited his cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray at his Dadar residence ‘Shivtirth’ on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, Wednesday.

Accompanied by his son, MLA Aaditya Thackeray, and wife Rashmi, Uddhav joined the Thackeray family in festivities, marking yet another step in warming ties between the estranged cousins. Photos later shared by Shiv Sena (UBT) on X showed the extended family celebrating together.

One striking image had Uddhav and Raj posing behind portraits of their grandfather Keshav, and their fathers Bal Thackeray and Shrikant Thackeray — a symbolic message of family unity despite two decades of political divergence.

This was the third public interaction between the cousins in recent months. On July 5, they shared a stage in Mumbai after the Maharashtra government rolled back its controversial three-language formula. Later in July, Raj visited Uddhav’s residence ‘Matoshree’ to greet him on his birthday.

Though Raj left the Shiv Sena in 2005 to form MNS the following year, and Uddhav has since led the Sena (UBT) through highs and splits, both parties appear to be moving closer. After suffering setbacks in the 2024 Assembly polls, the cousins are seen exploring a possible alliance for upcoming local body elections, including the powerful Mumbai civic polls, though no formal tie-up has been announced.