Uddhav, Raj Thackeray to ‘reunite’? Shiv Sena (UBT) leader drops ‘Dussehra rally’ hint
"It's possible that we may invite Raj Thackeray for our Dussehra rally and he may invite our leader to his party' s rally,” Sena UBT leader Sachin Ahir said.
Two months after Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray reunited for a ‘joint victory rally’, a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader on Saturday hinted at the possibility of the cousins sharing the stage during the Dussehra rally.
“I don't know if both Thackeray brothers will share the stage at Shivaji park on Dussehra rally. It's possible that we may invite Raj Thackeray for our Dussehra rally and he may invite our leader to his party' s rally,” Sena UBT leader Sachin Ahir said.
He added that the Dussehra rally this year “will be unprecedented”.
The statement comes after the Shiv Sena UBT chief visited his cousin, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, at his residence for Ganesh Chaturthi. Both parties are in talks to form an alliance for the Mumbai civic polls.
During the visit, Uddhav's first to Raj's residence since the latter moved there in November 2021, the Sena UBT chief was accompanied by his wife Rashmi and son Aaditya. The leaders allegedly met over lunch, with a Sena UBT leader saying it was a family visit.
However, the leader further said that the meet “assumes significance” given talks of an alliance for local body polls. “It is unlikely that they discussed politics, but it is a major step in the direction of the alliance,” the leader added.
The visit took place a month after Raj visited Uddhav's residence to wish him on his birthday. The cousins had shared the stage in July for a ‘joint victory rally’, after the Maharashtra government scrapped the three-language policy. The move was aimed at making Hindi a mandatory third language in primary schools in the state.
The reunion took place after months of speculation regarding their reconciliation and reports that they were likely to join hands ahead of the civic polls, in order to unite the Marathi vote bank. Raj had, earlier in April this year, said he was open to working with Uddhav for the bigger cause and in the interest of the Marathis.
