Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), visited his cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray at his Mumbai residence on Wednesday to mark Ganesh Chaturthi. Uddhav was accompanied by his wife, Rashmi Thackeray, and son, Aaditya Thackeray.
Earlier in the day, the family had offered prayers at Mumbaicha Raja in Ganesh Galli and at Lalbaugcha Raja.
The visit has fuelled speculation about a potential alliance between the two parties for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. In recent weeks, talk of a collaboration has intensified. On August 15, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had stated, “Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray will contest municipal elections together and win. The combined strength of Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, along with the unity of the Marathi people, is the key to victory in elections.”
In July, the two cousins had shared a stage at a joint rally at the Worli Dome in Mumbai. The rally was held after the Maharashtra government scrapped two Government Resolutions (GRs) that had proposed introducing Hindi as the third official language. At the rally, the Thackeray brothers garlanded a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. While addressing the 'Awaz Marathicha' joint rally, Uddhav had said that he had come to "stay together" with his brother Raj. The BMC elections are expected to be held in October of this year.
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