Thackeray Cousins Unite for Upcoming Local Body Elections

Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray's MNS plan to contest Maharashtra's upcoming local body polls jointly, following the cousins' reconciliation over language policy disagreements. Their collaboration could impact key civic body elections in Mumbai and other major cities.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut announced on Tuesday that the Uddhav Thackeray-led party will join forces with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to contest the upcoming local bodies polls.

This collaboration follows the reunion of estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray in July, when they jointly opposed the Maharashtra government's three-language policy for young students, which included the mandatory use of Hindi. Their protest led to the rollback of these policies.

Raut, addressing media in New Delhi, expressed confidence that the united front of the two Thackeray-led parties will secure a majority in civic bodies across key regions like Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik, among others. This marks a significant move, as the two parties have traditionally contested elections against each other since the MNS was formed in 2005.

(With inputs from agencies.)