Mumbai: With many saying the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections might become a Thackeray versus the rest type of scenario with the cousins reuniting after 20 years, the chief minister of the state Devendra Fadnavis has put it down to hype. So much is the hype, in fact, he said, that it was as if “Zelenskyy and Putin are talking”.
“They have lost their vote bank by doing politics of appeasement. Coming together of these two parties will have no impact. Both parties have joined hands to save their identity. People of Mumbai have seen development work done by us and that is why Mumbai is with us and will remain so. Mahayuti will win Mumbai,” Fadnavis said, speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
Meanwhile at the Thackeray press conference, it was clearly a family affair, with the cousins projecting comfortable vibes and close familial bonds—as if the bitterness of the past two decades had never happened. Nor was there a sign of either remembering the summary rebuff by Raj of the olive branch extended by Uddhav in 2013.
Earlier in the day on Wednesday, the cousins paid tribute to Bal Thackeray at his memorial and then rode in Raj’s car to arrive together at the venue of the press conference.
The family reunion imagery was pushed further at the press conference, with several Thackeray family photos displayed next to the podium, in addition to the usual photo of Ambedkar and bust of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
“Today we have come together to save Mumbai as that is our duty. We have come together to stay together,” said Uddhav Thackeray, announcing the official coming together of the Sena (UBT) and the MNS, from a stage that had symbols of the two parties flanking a photograph of Bal Thackeray.
“The day entire Maharashtra was waiting for is here. Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and have reunited,” Raj Thackeray said.
Both reiterated their strongest pitch—Marathi Manoos—promising to work for the upliftment of Marathis.
Uddhav invoked the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, in which their grandfather Prabondhankar Thackeray was a leading figure, and Uddhav and Raj’s fathers—Bal and Shrikant, respectively—played a role.
There were also family reminiscences. “I want to say that today I am reminded of the Samyukt Maharashtra movement. There was a lot of struggle behind that movement. Our family was at the forefront of it. Thackerays have fought for Mumbai and Maharashtra. Today also, those who tried to break Mumbai then are trying to do the same through their representatives. If we keep quarreling now, it will be an insult to the Samyukta Maharashtra movement,” said Uddhav.
Raj Thackeray said the two parties decided not to declare their seat-sharing formula right away. He indirectly referred to the alleged poaching by the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena ahead of the municipal council polls that concluded this month when he said: “Nowadays, there are gangs who are stealing small children in the state. Similarly, in politics, gangs are stealing workers. So we would not announce any formula today,” Raj Thackeray said.
The cousins said that after the alliance for Mumbai, they would also ally for other corporation elections.
Speaking about the alliance, Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal told the media, “We give our best wishes to them. But since our local leaders and workers felt that we should fight BMC election separately, we have decided to go solo.”
Political analyst Prakash Bal told ThePrint that Sena UBT and MNS coming together won’t have much impact as he feels Mahayuti will sweep the election.
“I say that because the whole scenario has changed after the assembly elections. Also, the organisational strength of Thackeray (Sena UBT) and MNS is very weak. Besides, BJP and Shiv Sena Shinde have money and muscle power, which could be crucial in the elections,” Bal said.
“The fact that Congress is also going solo in Mumbai means there will be vote division, which can benefit Mahayuti,” he said.
Political analyst Hemant Desai told ThePrint that now that the Thackerays have come together, the BJP will prop up Eknath Shinde to counter their influence on the Marathi votebank. He may even benefit in terms of seat sharing.
“It will be an all out war now as senior BJP leaders like Fadnavis and Ashish Shelar have started targeting Raj Thackeray, who was up until now not a subject of criticism for the BJP. This will also benefit Eknath Shinde who will be propped up against Shiv Sena UBT for Marathi votes.”
The corporation elections will be held on 15 January and results will be announced on 16 January.
Also read: ‘Not invited’ to seat-sharing talks, leaders poached. Mahayuti allies give NCP third-wheel treatment
The new alliance
Raj Thackeray quit Shiv Sena in 2005 and formed his outfit Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in 2006 over the issue of Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership style and functioning.
For the past one year, with both struggling for political existence, Raj and Uddhav have been sending feelers to each other, giving rise to speculations of alliance.
In July, the cousins came together for the first time against the imposition of Hindi in primary schools run by the Mahayuti government.
The cousins have now promised that if elected to power in BMC, the Mayor of Mumbai will be a Marathi.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: BJP’s sweep, boost for Shinde, MVA’s fall—what local body polls say about power play in Maharashtra