Uddhav Thackeray

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is a clever person who knows very well how dangerous a scheming friend could be, a reference to Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray. Shinde was responding to questions about Fadnavis and Thackeray taking the same flight while going to Nagpur on Friday. He said the BJP and undivided Shiv Sena had taken the same flight in 2019, but then "he took a different flight and aligned with the Congress", referring to the two allies breaking ties. "Fadnavis is a very clever person. He knows very well how dangerous a scheming friend could be," Shinde said. When asked about his flight journey with his political rival Fadnavis, Thackeray had said they had a "very high-level discussion". Probed further about the outcome of the meeting, Thackeray said the result will be known in the coming days. Fadnavis and Thackeray travelled together on a flight from Mumbai to Nagpur on Friday, triggering ..

"Operation Tiger is complete now," announced Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday, as all six rebel Lok Sabha members from the Shiv Sena (UBT) officially crossed over to the ruling Shiv Sena, formalising another split in the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction. The rebels joined the Shiv Sena at an event in the presence of Shinde and other senior party leaders, five days after skipping a crucial parliamentary party meeting of the Shiv Sena (UBT) in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by only three Lok Sabha MPs of the Opposition party. The Lok Sabha MPs of the Shiv Sena (UBT) who crossed over are: Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East), Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar (Hingoli), Omprakash Rajenimbalkar (Dharashiv) and Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi). "My operations are fool proof," said Shinde while referring to the six defected MPs as Dhurandhar (stalwarts/experts) who are connected to ground. "Operation Tiger" is now complete

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday took a sharp jibe at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, accusing him of sitting in Congress's lap and trying to turn infiltrators into a vote bank, warning that India is not a dharmshala. In an apparent reference to the imminent split in Thackeray-led Sena (UBT), Shah said that earlier people had to refer to the Shinde-led faction separately, but "now no faction remains, and there is only one Shiv Sena, which is headed by Eknath Shinde". The Sena (UBT) is staring at a crisis as at least six Lok Sabha MPs are believed to have revolted against Thackeray and are likely to cross over to the ruling Shiv Sena. "These Congress leaders and Uddhav ji, who is sitting in the lap of the Congress, want to survive by turning infiltrators into a vote bank. I want to tell them clearly that this country is not a dharmshala (charitable shelter). Only those who belong to this country will live here," Shah said. He said every infiltrator would be identifi

The BJP has had some significant departures that need mention. The first was Balraj Madhok, the swayamsevak from Jammu who, as party chief, led the BJS to his highest ever tally of 35 in the 1967 elec

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has rejected claims attributed to six rebel MPs that they feared the party might merge with the Congress, asserting that the united Sena always supported Hindutva and sons of the soil. In his first comments on the impending split in his party for the second time in four years, Thackeray on Friday said the Shiv Sena was not born to merge with anyone. "It was created to fight for the rights of Marathi people and protect Hindutva," he said while addressing a gathering of Shiv Sena (UBT) workers here, marking the 60th foundation day of the united Shiv Sena, founded by his father, late Bal Thackeray. He slammed the rebel MPs for claims that they feared the Sena (UBT) might merge with the Congress. "If we didn't merge with the BJP despite being an ally for 30 years, how can we merge with the Congress. I fear the Maharashtra BJP might merge with the Shinde Sena," he remarked. He said we have had severe political differences with the Congress, but it

The Shiv Sena's 60th foundation day exposed deepening fault lines as Uddhav sought to contain a rebellion and Shinde projected further political gains

The writing appeared to be on the wall for Shiv Sena (UBT) as six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs skipped its parliamentary party meeting here on Thursday, signalling that a formal crossover to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde may be only a matter of time. Sena (UBT) MPs Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje attended the meeting, along with Sanjay Raut, the party's lone Rajya Sabha MP. The absence of the remaining six MPs all but confirmed a split in the party's parliamentary ranks. The MPs who skipped the meeting are Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar and Bhausaheb Wakchaure. Sources said all six dissident MPs have signed a letter seeking a merger with the Shinde-led Sena and submitted it to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The process, however, is not yet complete, as the speaker's office is understood to require the physical appearance of some of the MPs for verification and that is "expected to happen in the coming .

Even as the Trinamool Congress grapples with an unprecedented split, Shiv Sena (UBT), another major player in the Opposition camp, is staring at a crisis, with "six to seven" of its nine Lok Sabha MPs inclined to switch to the ruling Shiv Sena and camping in the national capital, sources said on Tuesday. It is learnt that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde was also headed to Delhi late on Tuesday. On its part, Shiv Sena (UBT) has dismissed the possibility of a split in its Lok Sabha ranks, with the party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut claiming that all its MPs remain united. Sources told PTI that Shinde was expected to land in Delhi late on Tuesday. "Six to seven MPs are likely to switch sides," a leader of the Shinde camp said, claiming that the move was linked to a possible elevation in the role of Aditya Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who currently heads the party's youth wing. The leader claimed that the MPs likely to ma

The BJP-led alliance was set to bag around 125 of 227 seats in BMC, which is India's richest civic body, whose budget for 2025-26 is a whopping Rs 74,427 crore

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday urged the State Election Commission to cancel results in 68 civic wards where ruling Mahayuti nominees were declared winners unopposed, saying uncontested victories effectively rob 'Gen Z' and first-time voters of their voting right. Sharing the stage with MNS chief Raj Thackeray to unveil their joint manifesto for the upcoming polls to the Mumbai civic body, Uddhav warned that democracy must not be overrun by "mobocracy. Referring to the uncontested victories in the run-up to the January 15 elections, Uddhav said, "If the SEC has courage, it should cancel elections where candidates were chosen unopposed and initiate the poll process again in those civic wards. The unopposed election of candidates is akin to denying voters, especially the 'GenZ' electorate, the chance to exercise their franchise, he added. The former chief minister launched a scathing attack on the Mahayuti government, saying that since his government was dislodged a

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has released a booklet highlighting the work he did during the COVID-19 pandemic when he was helming the Maharashtra government, a strategic move ahead of the civic polls. The booklet, released on Sunday, lists measures Thackeray took as chief minister to contain the pandemic in areas such as Dharavi and other parts of Mumbai during the Maha Vikas Aghadi's rule between 2019 and 2022. The Sena (UBT) last week announced an alliance with Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for the Mumbai civic polls, but the parties haven't yet declared their lists of candidates. Elections to 29 civic bodies, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, will be held on January 15. The counting of votes will take place the next day. The election to the BMC can be viewed as a high-stakes battle for Uddhav Thackeray, as he attempts to reclaim control of the country's richest civic body, which has been under the undivided Shiv Sena from 1997 to 20

The ruling alliance bagged 207 posts of municipal presidents and 4,422 seats in the municipal council and nagar panchayat polls held in December

Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray have reunited ahead of the January 15 BMC polls, ending a long feud over leadership and succession that split the Shiv Sena nearly two decades ago

Two "dynasts" have come together fearing defeat in the upcoming BMC polls, the BJP said on Wednesday, after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray announced an alliance of their parties. Addressing a joint press conference in Mumbai along with his cousin Raj Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray said the two parties have come together to stay together. Reacting to the development, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said, "Two dynasts have come together. They have forged an alliance between their parties fearing defeat. The people of Mumbai want to choose development under the NDA-BJP." This clearly shows that they have come together to save their "deposits" from being forfeited in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, he said. "The people of Mumbai are with the NDA-BJP and they will choose development," Bhandari said. The BMC polls are scheduled to be held on January 15.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj in Mumbai and both leaders are understood to have discussed seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming municipal corporation polls. Uddhav visited 'Shivtirth', the residence of Raj in Dadar in central Mumbai, the latest in a series of meetings this year between the once politically estranged cousins who have been warming up to each other in recent times amid signs of reconciliation and possible alliance between their parties. Although the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS are yet to formally announce an alliance, the Thackeray cousins have given enough hints of an imminent tie-up for local body polls, especially the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other civic bodies in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune and Nashik, where the two outfits have pockets of influence. A Shiv Sena (UBT) leader disclosed that during the meeting, Uddhav and Raj are believed to have discussed ..

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday called the BJP-led Maharashtra government a dagabaz sarkar (treacherous government), accusing it of betraying farmers. He said the BJP and its allies have no right to chant the national song Vande Mataram' when they are looting Bharat Mata, referring to the controversial Pune land deal involving a firm linked to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son Parth. The Sena (UBT) chief was speaking after visiting Patoda village in Partur tehsil of Jalna district on the last day of his four-day tour of the Marathwada region to take stock of the devastation caused by torrential rains this monsoon. Farmers suffered heavy losses due to intense rains and floods, yet the government's relief measures remained slow and inadequate, he alleged. Farmers are not getting fair prices for their produce. The government announced procurement at MSP (minimum support price), but the purchasing centres started (operating) very late, Thackeray said. The forme

The Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed November 12 for hearing a plea of the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena against the Maharashtra Assembly speaker's decision to allot the 'bow and arrow' party symbol to the Eknath Shinde-led faction. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the hearing on the plea will start on November 12 and if need arises, it would continue on November 13. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Shiv Sena-UBT, said that local body elections are likely to be held in January next year and therefore there is a sense of urgency in the matter. He said the court may hear the matter finally before the local body polls. "We will hear all the parties on November 12 and if need arises, we can continue the hearing on November 13," the bench said. Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Neeraj Kishan Kaul appeared for the Shinde faction. On July 14, the top court fixed the matter for final hearing, saying the issue had been pending for long and

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday targeted the BJP over the arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk in connection with the violence in Ladakh last month and asserted that fighting for rights and justice is becoming an act of treason in the country. Addressing the annual Dussehra rally here, Thackeray also likened the BJP to "a single cell organism amoeba". "It spreads as per its will, forms an alliance as per its will and after the work is done it switches to another (party). It causes stomach ache when it enters the body and disturbs peace when it enters the society. Which is why I call it an amoeba," Thackeray said. There is no link between the BJP and good governance, he added. Thackeray referred to the recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conflict-hit Manipur and said the PM did not see the tears of people there. On the alliance with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Thackeray said, "What did we do on July 5 (a reference to the 'victory rally' of MNS ..

Maharashtra is now a cauldron of power politics, and both Raj and Uddhav are realising they face a common existential enemy - the BJP

Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray on Monday accused Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of "shielding corrupt" ministers in his cabinet, and claimed the ruling Mahayuti has relegated the state to last position in development and top in corruption. Speaking at a protest organised here to demand the sacking of "corrupt" ministers, primarily from the rival Shiv Sena, which is a constituent of the Mahayuti along with the BJP and NCP, Thackeray said the agitation will continue until those ministers are shown the door. The Sena (UBT) said it has carried out similar agitation across the state. Thackeray asked the party workers to inform the public about "corrupt" actions of the Mahayuti ministers. "We gave them (government) evidence (against ministers) and yet there is no action on them. Someone is running a dance bar, another has a bag full of notes. There is no need of even any probe now, yet the CM does not sack the ministers," Thackeray said. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has bee