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Uddhav or BJP or Shinde Sena? Raj Thackeray’s post to mark Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s birth anniversary has given rise to speculation over which party he will support in BMC
The Thackerays had come together for the BMC elections. (X/PTI File)
After the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) shocker, will Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena in Mumbai civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), ditching his cousin and UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray?
His post on X on Friday to mark the birth anniversary of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, stating “even if I have to take a slightly flexible stance”, has given rise to new speculation.
The race for the post of BMC mayor has been heating up, with Friday’s lottery reserving the post for women candidates. In the 2026 BMC elections held on January 15, the BJP won 89 seats, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena 29, Sena UBT 65, Congress 24, AIMIM 8, NCP Ajit Pawar 3, Samajwadi Party (SP) 2 and NCP Sharad Pawar 1 seat. While the BJP and Shinde Sena alliance of Mahayuti has easily crossed the halfway mark of 114, the fight for the top post, which even Shinde is eyeing, has given rise to talks of different likely combinations for the BJP, Shinde Sena and UBT.
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In the KDMC, the MNS, which has 5 seats, extended its support to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, which won 53 seats, followed by 50 seats. UBT won 11 seats in the 122-seat KDMC. For the civic elections, the Thackeray cousins had united after two decades. UBT’s Sanjay Raut later said Raj Thackeray was “distraught” over the action of local leaders.
What did Raj Thackeray say in the post?
Raj Thackeray’s post hailed the politics of Bal Thackeray. “Even when Balasaheb had to take a flexible stance in politics at times, his love for the Marathi people didn’t diminish even by a fraction; on the contrary, it only grew stronger. These are the values instilled in us,” he wrote.
Then came the statement that has created a new buzz in Mumbai politics. “I give my word once again today: even if I have to take a slightly flexible stance at times in this completely transformed politics, it will never be for my personal gain or selfishness. Seeing Balasaheb’s blazing love for the Marathi language, the Marathi region, and the Marathi people, thousands and lakhs of people joined him and went along with him — I am one of them. Therefore, my faith and love, and that of my Maharashtra Sainiks, for the two words ‘Balasaheb’ and ‘Marathi’ will never diminish even by a fraction.”
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The post began with: “It is the 100th birth anniversary of Late Balasaheb today. Many birth centenary years have been celebrated in history and will be in the future too, but it is rare for a person to remain in people’s memories even after they are no longer alive, and for that person to continue shaping the politics and social dynamics of an entire region even today. This can only happen in the case of Balasaheb, most of the time. And that’s why I’m fully confident that Balasaheb will remain in people’s memories not just in his 100th year but even in his bicentennial birth year. But by then, the Marathi person remembering Balasaheb should not be a divided, demoralized, crushed, and silently enduring soul bearing injustice.”
स्व. बाळासाहेबांची आज १०० वी जयंती. इतिहासात जन्म शताब्दी वर्ष अनेकांची साजरी झाली आहेत आणि होतील देखील, पण एखादी व्यक्ती हयात नसताना देखील ती लोकांच्या स्मृतीत रहावी, आणि त्या व्यक्तीने आज देखील एखाद्या प्रांताच्या राजकारणाला आणि समाजकारणाला आकार देत रहावं हे दुर्मिळ. हे फक्त… pic.twitter.com/iDRAjiYWSh— Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) January 23, 2026
“Today, loyalties are easily sold off. Principles are casually discarded, and politics has become entirely opportunistic. In today’s politics, success is measured not by which issues were brought to the forefront, or how fiercely regional and linguistic identities were kept alive, but by how much success was achieved in electoral politics and what tricks were employed to get there. In Balasaheb’s time, there were no such compromises with expectations like these, and even if there were, he would have thrown them out. He himself had no craving for power, but he found satisfaction in seating an ordinary worker on a seat of power,” the post read.
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“Power comes and goes. Today’s power-holders tomorrow are reduced to mere nameplates, but only a few people can leave an impact that shakes generations. This impact was Balasaheb’s strength, and this is his legacy. Balasaheb was farsighted. His vision still feels consistent today and will remain so in the future. That’s why he will remain timeless. Just as it’s true that we will never see a talent like Balasaheb’s again, it’s equally true that no one will ever be able to practice politics like Balasaheb’s in the future. But his image will never take a hit anywhere, and the fight he waged for the Marathi language, for the Marathi people, will continue to burn fiercely—this is in the hands of Balasaheb’s next generations to ensure. And we will do it with determination; this is our word to the Marathi people.”
January 23, 2026, 11:57 IST
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