Peace Signals From the Thackerays

In quick-fire succession—Raj Thackeray in a podcast, and Uddhav Thackeray at a public meeting—hinted that they were not averse to coming together. The cousins, who parted bitterly two decades ago when Raj, sidelined in the Shiv Sena, split to form the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, have never so openly stated that they were ready to put the past behind. It was Raj who first in filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar’s podcast extended the olive branch but wondered whether Uddhav would reciprocate. On Saturday, Uddhav said that he was willing if it was for the betterment of Maharashtra.

This is not driven as much by family bonding as force of circumstances. Both are becoming increasingly irrelevant to Maharashtra’s politics. Uddhav has had his organisation, its symbol and assets snatched away by Eknath Shinde. The last Assembly election put a stamp on the decline when Shinde’s faction got a surprising number of seats and Uddhav’s Sena was decimated. Raj’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has with every succeeding election become more fringe. The major parties in the state have had no interest in including MNS in their alliances. The party did not win a single seat this time. Even his son could not win in their stronghold around Dadar.

Without power, both have little hope of raising the resources or manpower needed to grow their parties. They however have something that still has considerable political sway, the surname. Both command huge crowds at political rallies but it does not translate into votes. Their ability to mobilise is fast decreasing. If they manage to unite under a common banner, there might still be hope to become a political force again because there will be momentum to build on. Plus, elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are forthcoming and contesting together would have a significant impact given that both parties are centered in Mumbai. Conquering the city will be just the needed boost.

And yet, nothing is a given. It is no secret that they have a long history of bitterness. Even if that is papered over, there is still the effort required to get party workers to get along. Also, the BJP-led alliance will try to break any potential unity by making a deal with either of the two. So long as their backs are to the wall, a reunion seems like a good idea, but once options are presented it is no longer as enticing.

BJPEknath ShindeMaharashtraMNSpoliticsRaj ThackareyUddhav ThackerayWeb Exclusive