Uddhav, Raj reunion on cards? 3 factors why Thackeray cousins could bury the hatchet

MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray. (Images: PTI)

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray recently set the proverbial cat among pigeons as he acknowledged the overture by estranged cousin and Maharashtra Navanirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray in an address to party workers, signaling that both leaders were willing to set aside differences for the greater interest of the people of Maharashtra.

"I am willing to come together in the interest of Maharashtra. I am ready to set aside minor issues. I never had differences. Yet, I have put aside all disputes," Uddhav said, responding to a remark by cousin Raj in a recent podcast with filmmaker Sanjay Manjerakar.

"Coming together is not difficult. If Maharashtra wants us to come together, let Maharashtra speak up. I don’t let ego come in the way of Maharashtra’s well-being," Raj said in the podcast.

The remarks come as the strongest indicator yet of the willingness by both brothers to reunite since they fell apart in the late 2000s and even after Raj forming the MNS in 2006. Multiple attempts by Sena workers and members of the Thackeray family to get both brothers to bury the hatchet have so far proven unsuccessful.

The last such attempt in 2017 just ahead of the BMC elections also proved futile as Uddhav refused to meet an emissary sent by Raj and insisted that he meet his deputies instead. Alliance talks were somehow initiated but never really took off.

So, what is it that has effected this change of heart for the two brothers who have rarely seen eye to eye? Three possible reasons emerge.

A Political Compulsion?

For starters, both parties -- the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS -- have found themselves on shaky ground, politically, in the past few years. Battling from a split that saw several of Uddhav's party leaders quit and align with a rebellion by Eknath Shinde. He also lost the name and symbol of the party to the Shinde faction, which eventually came to be known as the "real" Shiv Sena.

The Sena (UBT)'s electoral performance dwindled in the Assembly elections held after the split, limiting the party to just 20 Assembly seats of the 95 it contested while the rival NDA swept to power with the best mandate in over 50 years.

On the other hand, Raj's MNS, relatively smaller than the Sena (UBT), has also been struggling to stay relevant for years at a stretch now. Having remained equidistant from the Maha Vikas Aghadi as well as the Mahayuti -- barring a few praises for Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- the MNS has found itself increasingly marginalized, failing to win even one seat in the Assembly elections last year.

A coming together, thus, makes political sense as both parties stand decimated and on the fringes of Maharashtra's political landscape. Coming together, thus, could prove beneficial for both sides, provided both leaders have the maturity and far-sightedness not to allow their bitter past and egos come in the way of their parties.

Marathi Identity Politics

The signs of a thaw between the two estranged brothers also comes at a time when the issue of Marathi identity has gained momentum in the state amid opposition to the NDA government in the state making Hindi a mandatory third language for students between classes 1 and 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools.

The politicisation of the issue could prove to be the perfect ground for both parties to align forces as they already owe much of their politics to asserting the issue of Marathi identity and the supremacy of the "Marathi manoos".

BMC Polls and Beyond

With the chatter around the alliance coming just ahead of the BMC elections, the issue could snowball into a major controversy with the Marathi-speaking population in Mumbai at around 30-35 percent. A consolidation of this vote bank could do wonders for both Uddhav and Raj.

Gains in the BMC elections, if translated into both emerging stronger than before, would automatically set them up as forces to reckon with in a state where Marathi-speaking account for around 70 percent of the population.