Warring Thackeray cousins cross paths, interact at family wedding
Uddhav and Raj Thackeray met at a family wedding, sparking speculation about a possible political alliance amid poor electoral performances
MUMBAI: After levelling personal attacks against each other for years, political rivals Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray came face to face and even spoke to each other at Raj Thackeray’s nephew Yash Deshpande’s wedding on Sunday morning. Last week, Raj Thackeray was at Uddhav’s nephew’s wedding. The two cousins split politically in 2006.

As the maternal uncle of the groom, Raj, his mother Kunda, wife Sharmila, daughter Urvashi, son Amit and daughter-in-law Mitali were at the wedding at IES School, Dadar. The groom’s mother Jayjaywanti and her husband Abhay Deshpande had invited the Uddhav Thackeray family as well. Uddhav came with his wife Rashmi, and the two warring cousins exchanged greetings.
Other members of the extended Thackeray family—friends and foes—were also present. Smita Thackeray, Uddhav’s brother Jayadev Thackeray’s former wife, who has a hostile relationship with Uddhav, was seen with her son. Raj and Uddhav’s maternal uncle, who has been trying for several years to reunite the cousins, was also present.
Earlier, on December 15, Raj’s presence at the wedding reception of Shounak Patankar, Rashmi Thackeray’s nephew, triggered fresh speculation that the estranged Thackeray cousins were getting together as allies. The reception was held at Taj Land’s End in Bandra West. Raj and Uddhav came at different times and did not cross paths, but sources said that Raj met Rashmi Thackeray and her mother. “Raj came to the wedding out of love and family ties,” said Rashmi’s brother Shridhar Patankar.
There has been talk in both Raj’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Uddhav’s Shiv Sena (UBT) of them burying their differences and sealing a poll pact ahead of the statewide civic elections, including the cash-rich BMC. With the spectacular debacle of both parties in the recently held state assembly elections, grass-roots activists of both are hopeful of a reunion of the Thackeray cousins as an astute poll strategy to consolidate the Marathi votes in the civic polls. Some political observers feel that the two parties are eating into each other’s votes and must come together for the sake of the Marathi community.
Raj and Uddhav parted ways in 2006, following many differences, after which Raj launched his own political party, the MNS. Uddhav’s Shiv Sena (UBT) has always called the MNS a “vote cutter”, as demonstrated once more in the duo’s attacks on each other during the assembly elections of November 2024.
Sources in the MNS said that Raj left the Shiv Sena only because of Uddhav. Earlier, the Shiv Sena had made an attempt to patch up during the civic elections but Raj later claimed that it was never followed up seriously. The MNS chief has been very upset at the way the undivided Shiv Sena took away six of his corporators at a time when his son was going through a critical illness.
In the 2019 polls, the MNS did not put up a candidate against Aaditya Thackeray, as a member of the Thackeray clan was making his electoral debut. However, in 2024, the Shiv Sena (UBT) did not extend the same courtesy to Raj and fielded Mahesh Sawant against Raj’s son Amit in his political debut.
The Shiv Sena (UBT)’s and MNS’s performances have been the worst ever in the recent assembly elections—while the former won just 20 seats, the MNS scored a complete zero.

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