Raj Thackeray, the head of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), visited Matoshree on Sunday, 27 July 2025 to wish his cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on his 65th birthday. This meeting is an important moment in the political scenario of Maharashtra, as the two leaders, who were separated for two decades, recently appeared together at the ‘Vijay’ rally held in Worli, Mumbai on 5 July 2025.
Raj Thackeray arrived at Matoshree, Uddhav Thackeray’s residence in Bandra in the morning from his Dadar residence. During this time there was a huge crowd in the area. The two Thackeray brothers greeted each other and posed for photographs, which gave air to political discussions in Maharashtra. This meeting was 13 years later, Raj Thackeray’s first voluntary journey in Matoshree, before he went there in 2012 at the time of Bala Saheb Thackeray’s death.
In a joint rally titled ‘Awaz Marathacha’ (voice of Marathi), the two leaders celebrated the cancellation of the decision of the Maharashtra government to make Hindi compulsory as the third language in primary schools. In this rally, Uddhav said, “We have come together and will live together … we have united to protect Marathi.” Raj Thackeray jokingly said that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis did what Balasaheb Thackeray could not even do, that is, bringing the two brothers together.
The meeting has given further air to the speculation of a possible alliance before the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Uddhav and Raj indicated at the rally that they could work together to gain power in BMC and Maharashtra. However, some leaders, such as Maharashtra ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Ramdas Athawale have questioned the stability of the alliance.
Raj Thackeray was accompanied by MNS leaders Bala Nandgavkar and Nitin Sardesai in Matoshree. Leaders like Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Sanjay Raut, Anil Parab and Ambadas Danve also attended Uddhav’s birthday celebrations. The meeting, which lasted for about 20-25 minutes, reflects the possibility of a new equation in Maharashtra politics.
