Uddhav, Raj Thackeray to contest Mumbai, other civic polls together: Sanjay Raut
Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, who were not on amicable terms earlier, will form an alliance and contest civic polls in Mumbai and other cities together, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut said on Friday.
"The Thackeray brothers (Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray) will contest the municipal corporation elections in Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and Kalyan-Dombivali together and win.
"The strength of Raj and Uddhav Thackeray is the strength of the unity of the Marathi-speakers. No power cannot break the iron fist of `Marathi manus' now," Raut told reporters.
Civic polls are due in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Navi Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizamapur, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar and Panvel, apart from other cities like Nashik.
Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have the support of the Marathi-speaking population, Raut said, and added that discussions are on between Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leaders on the way forward.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan said anyone can separate or unite in a democracy.
"They should win the elections in Mumbai, Pune and Nashik first, and then talk any further," he said. Bharat Gogavale, a leader of the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, said the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, will win all civic polls.
Two decades after Raj Thackeray quit the Shiv Sena, talks of a Raj-Uddhav reunion began in April as discussions on the Marathi identity and Hindi "imposition" in Maharashtra gained momentum.
The fight for the Marathi language also poses a political opportunity for the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, smarting from the 15 per cent vote share it garnered in the Assembly elections last year, as the Mahayuti marched to a comfortable victory. The MNS ended with zero seats.
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