Maharashtra politics saw a big turn on Saturday when two estranged cousins, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, shared a stage for the first time in two decades.
Raj had split with Uddhav in 2005, exiting Shiv Sena to create his own outfit, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), centred around Marathi politics. While the Shiv Sena, under Bal Thackeray, had the same political brand, Raj’s supporters alleged that the party had strayed from its path since Uddhav Thackeray took over as working President.
So what made the two formerly warring cousins reunite after such a long time? Here is the timeline of the Raj Thackeray- Uddhav Thackeray saga.
The Raj Thackeray- Uddhav Thackeray saga: A timeline
Raj Thackeray entered politics in the late 1980s as the head of the Shiv Sena students wing, Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena (BVS), in 1988. He was seen as the heir to his uncle Bal Thackeray.
Bal Thackeray’s son, Uddhav Thackeray, entered politics in the latter half of the 1990s. Initially seen as a reluctant politician, he played a significant role in the party's win in the 2002 civics polls, shunning his backroom operator image. Around the same time, a power tussle began between Raj and Uddhav.
Uddhav was appointed the Shiv Sena working President in January 2003 amid Bal Thackeray's trying to broker peace between the two cousins. His ‘Mee Mumbaikar’ campaign, aimed at attracting the non-Marathi population towards Shiv Sena, further dented his relationship with Raj, who bashed the north-Indian students arriving in Mumbai to take railway recruitment exams. The campaign was scuttled and Uddhav had to quietly wrap it up.
{{/usCountry}}Uddhav was appointed the Shiv Sena working President in January 2003 amid Bal Thackeray's trying to broker peace between the two cousins. His ‘Mee Mumbaikar’ campaign, aimed at attracting the non-Marathi population towards Shiv Sena, further dented his relationship with Raj, who bashed the north-Indian students arriving in Mumbai to take railway recruitment exams. The campaign was scuttled and Uddhav had to quietly wrap it up.
{{/usCountry}}The feud intensified during the 2004 assembly elections as Raj Thackeray supporters complained about not getting party tickets. It came to a head in 2005 when Raj finally decided to quit Shiv Sena and launched MNS the next year.
MNS hurt the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in the 2009 assembly polls, taking away a large chunk of their votes. This saw the Congress-NCP storm back to power. But in 2012, the Shiv Sena retained power in the BMC with the help of the BJP.
Raj Thackeray campaigned against the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, though he couldn't stop them from winning the majority of seats in Maharashtra. But soon, the alliance split, and Uddhav Thackeray became the chief minister with the help of NCP and Congress, forming the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Raj again started inching towards the BJP when it happened.
The Shiv Sena split into two factions in 2022, with party veteran Eknath Shinde snatching away the party name, symbol as well as the CM post from Uddhav. Raj publicly expressed his unhappiness over Shinde taking over Shiv Sena.
Uddhav became the face of the MVA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, while Raj backed the BJP. The MVA took the majority of Lok Sabha seats in the state. The BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) didn't take him into the alliance in the assembly polls later that year. MNS couldn't win a single seat, while the Shiv Sena UBT-led alliance was also drubbed.
Raj, in an April 2025 podcast with actor Mahesh Manjrekar, said that he was willing to reconcile with his cousin. The statement was welcomed by Uddhav, who echoed the same sentiment.
The two cousins announced a joint rally on June 27 over the Maharashtra government’s order to make Hindi mandatory in state schools. That turned into a victory rally as the government withdrew the order, which happened on Saturday, as both leaders hinted at an alliance.