Raj Thackeray Visits Matoshree To Mark Uddhav Thackeray’s Birthday
The visit follows their recent public appearance together earlier this month, when the two shared a political stage for the first time in 20 years.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray visited Matoshree, the residence of the Thackeray family in Mumbai, on the occasion of his cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray’s birthday.
Raj was accompanied by senior MNS leaders Bala Nandgaonkar and Nitin Sardesai. Inside Matoshree, the two cousins were photographed together with a portrait of Balasaheb Thackeray in the background.
A separate video showed Uddhav cutting his birthday cake as family members and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders sang “Happy Birthday” in Hindi. Raj was not seen in the footage.
The visit follows their recent public appearance together earlier this month, when the two shared a political stage for the first time in 20 years. They addressed a joint rally in Worli focused on Marathi identity and concerns about the perceived imposition of Hindi.
“We have come together to stay together. We will together capture power in the Mumbai civic body and Maharashtra,” the former Chief Minister said at the rally, drawing loud applause from the audience.
Before Uddhav’s remarks, Raj said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had achieved what Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and others could not—bringing the two cousins together.
Raj left the Shiv Sena in 2005 following differences with Uddhav and later founded the MNS. The two parties have contested elections against each other since then. Their reunion on 5 July came amid calls for political consolidation as the BJP expanded its alliance in Maharashtra by joining hands with Eknath Shinde, who split the Shiv Sena in 2022.
