Uddhav and Raj Thackeray Reunite on Bhai Dooj Amid Growing Political Buzz

Mumbai, Oct 2025 : In a warm display of family bonding that also carried political undertones, cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray came together once again on the occasion of Bhai Dooj on Thursday.

Both leaders visited their sister Jayawanti Thackeray Deshpande’s residence at the Buildarch Daffodil building in Dadar to celebrate the festival, marking another moment of reconciliation in the once-fractured Thackeray family.

The gathering saw both families in full attendance — Raj Thackeray arrived with his wife Sharmila, son Amit, and daughter-in-law Urvashi, while Uddhav Thackeray attended along with his wife Rashmi, and sons Aditya and Tejas Thackeray. What began as a personal celebration quickly attracted public and media attention, igniting renewed speculation about a possible political realignment in Maharashtra.

The reunion comes months after the Thackeray cousins ended nearly two decades of estrangement, first reuniting in July over their shared opposition to the MahaYuti government’s proposal to make Hindi a compulsory language alongside Marathi and English from Grade 1 under the National Education Policy (NEP).

Both leaders had condemned the move as an “attempt to undermine Marathi pride” and accused the BJP-led coalition of promoting Hindi imposition in Maharashtra. Following strong protests from both Thackeray camps, opposition parties, and several literary organisations, the state government withdrew two controversial resolutions related to the NEP language policy and announced a committee led by former Planning Commission member Dr. Narendra Jadhav to review and make recommendations.

Celebrating the government’s reversal, the Thackeray cousins held a joint “victory rally” on July 5, where they declared their intention to “stay united” on issues concerning Maharashtra’s identity and culture.

Since then, political observers have closely watched their increasing proximity, particularly amid growing speculation that Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) may join forces ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections to challenge the BJP-led MahaYuti alliance.

While a formal alliance has yet to be announced, both leaders have recently collaborated with other opposition parties on several key issues, including allegations of voter list manipulation. The Thackeray brothers were part of a multi-party delegation that met the State Chief Electoral Officer and the State Election Commissioner, demanding the postponement of upcoming local body elections until the voters’ list is thoroughly verified and duplicate entries are removed. They also urged a special summary revision of the rolls to ensure transparency.

Their recent string of public appearances has further fueled talk of political coordination. Last week, Uddhav and his family attended the inauguration of the illumination of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, an event organised by Raj Thackeray. Earlier, Uddhav had visited Raj’s residence to celebrate their mother’s birthday and also joined the family during the Ganesh festival.

In the past four months alone, the cousins have reportedly met over ten times, signalling a gradual but unmistakable thaw in their relationship.

While Thursday’s Bhai Dooj celebration was, by all accounts, a family affair, its political implications were hard to ignore — especially as Maharashtra’s political landscape braces for a potentially dramatic realignment led by the Thackeray brothers.