Raj Thackeray Visits Matoshree After 13 Years To Greet Cousin Uddhav On His 65th Birthday

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray paid a visit to his cousin, Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray, on Sunday to wish him on his 65th birthday. Raj drove from his residence, Shivteerth in Dadar, to Matoshree, the Thackeray family’s iconic residence in Bandra.

Uddhav, accompanied by his party MP Sanjay Raut, greeted Raj at the entrance of the Matoshree bungalow, news agency PTI reported. Raj presented a large bouquet of red roses to his cousin during the visit.

This marked the first time in 13 years that Raj entered Matoshree, as per NDTV. His last visit was in 2012 during the demise of Balasaheb Thackeray. He was accompanied by senior MNS leaders Bala Nandgaonkar and Nitin Sardesai.

In a post on X, Raj wrote, "On the occasion of my elder brother, Shiv Sena chief Mr. Uddhav Thackeray's birthday, I visited Matoshri, the residence of the late Honorable Mr. Balasaheb Thackeray, to extend my best wishes..."

The two cousins posed for a photograph inside Matoshree, with a portrait of Balasaheb Thackeray in the background. Another image captured Raj handing over the bouquet to Uddhav on his birthday.

Thackeray Cousins' Reunion After Longstanding Rift

The cousins, who were estranged for nearly two decades, have recently rekindled ties. Earlier this month, they shared a stage during a rally in Mumbai on July 5, celebrating the rollback of Hindi language government resolutions (GRs) by the BJP-led Maharashtra government. The event, which focused on Marathi identity and opposition to the “imposition” of Hindi, marked their first political collaboration in almost 20 years.

At the rally, Uddhav Thackeray declared, “We have come together to stay together. We will together capture power in the Mumbai civic body and Maharashtra,” drawing enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

Raj Thackeray had parted ways with the Shiv Sena in 2005 following disagreements with Uddhav, subsequently launching the MNS. Since then, both leaders have contested elections against one another. Their public reunion earlier this month came amid the BJP’s growing influence in Maharashtra politics and its alliance with Eknath Shinde, who split the Shiv Sena in 2022.

Before Uddhav addressed the rally, Raj quipped that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had achieved something even Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray could not — uniting the two cousins.

india