Daijiworld Media Network- Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 7: Amid renewed political curiosity surrounding the Thackeray cousins, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday stated that the future of any alliance with Raj Thackeray’s MNS will be decided by the two of them alone, asserting that the INDIA bloc will play no role in such a decision.

Speaking to the media, Uddhav Thackeray said, “We, the two brothers, are capable of deciding on an alliance with each other; and the INDIA bloc has nothing to do with it. There are no terms and conditions regarding this.” His remarks come shortly after a visible thaw in relations between the two estranged cousins, rekindling speculation of a potential political partnership in the upcoming elections.

The former Maharashtra Chief Minister also stated that his party would announce its stand on the upcoming vice-presidential election after the BJP reveals its candidate. He called for a discussion on the sudden resignation of incumbent Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, questioning the abrupt nature of his exit.

In a scathing attack on the state election commission, Thackeray criticised the decision to not use VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) machines in the upcoming local body polls. With elections due in key municipal bodies such as Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik, Thackeray said the lack of transparency raises serious concerns.

Turning his attention to national affairs, Thackeray targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy, describing it as a failure. He cited instances such as US President Donald Trump’s imposition of increased trade tariffs on India as evidence of diminishing global influence.

With political equations shifting rapidly in Maharashtra, Uddhav’s remarks have added a fresh layer of intrigue to the state’s pre-election landscape.