Both the successors of Shiv Sena were seen on the same stage today. Expectations of a big political explosion in Maharashtra politics.
Important facts related to Shiv Sena Bal Thackeray-:
● Shiv Sena, a major political party in Maharashtra, was founded on 19 June 1966 by Balasaheb Thackeray.
● Balasaheb Thackeray came into the limelight after the assassination of Parel MLA Comrade Krishna Desai on 5 June 1970.
● The first MLA of Shiv Sena, Vaman Rao Mahadik, was elected after winning the Parel by-election in 1970.
● In 1985, Shiv Sena won the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
● In 1995, Shiv Sena formed a government in Maharashtra in an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
● In 2006, Balasaheb’s nephew, Raj Thackeray, left Shiv Sena and formed the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
● After Balasaheb Thackeray’s death in 2012, his son Uddhav Thackeray took over the leadership of the party.
● In 2019, Shiv Sena broke its alliance with BJP and formed a government in Maharashtra with NCP and Congress, which made Uddhav Thackeray the Chief Minister.
● In 2022, there was a major split in Shiv Sena when Eknath Shinde rebelled and allied with BJP and became the Chief Minister.
● In 2024, the Shinde faction is now in power in Maharashtra with BJP. While Uddhav Thackeray is playing the role of the opposition.
● On 5 July 2025, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have hinted at coming together once again, sharing the stage after 20 years.
SNPNEWS.IN UPDATE: Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray used to speak loudly in Maharashtra politics. It seemed difficult to imagine Maharashtra politics for many decades without him. In 2005, there was a dispute between Balasaheb’s son Uddhav and Raj Thackeray for the successor of Balasaheb Thackeray, after which Raj Thackeray founded MNS in 2006. And Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena Thackeray came to the party.
Both of them contested the 2009 assembly elections separately, during which Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena got 44 seats and MNS got 13 seats. Uddhav Thackeray contested these elections in alliance with the BJP.
Before the 2014 assembly elections, Shiv Sena Thackeray broke the alliance with the BJP and contested the elections alone. During this, Shiv Sena Thackeray won 63 seats and MNS 1 seat. After the elections, Shiv Sena Thackeray again joined hands with BJP and formed the government.
In 2019, Shiv Sena Thackeray contested the elections in alliance with the NDA (BJP) alliance. Shiv Sena Thackeray won 56 seats and MNS 1 seat. After which there was a dispute over the Chief Minister’s chair within the NDA alliance. After which Uddhav formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) with the NCP and Congress, and Uddhav Thackeray became the Chief Minister.
After the controversy in Shiv Sena Thackeray in 2022, Eknath Shinde broke away and supported the BJP with his fellow MLAs and became a partner in the government. After this, Shiv Sena Thackeray suffered a big setback during the 2024 assembly elections when the Shinde group won 57 seats and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) was reduced to only 20 seats and MNS could not even open its account.
After the controversy and a long gap of 20 years, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray came together for a joint rally at NSCI Dome in Worli, Mumbai on 5 July 2025. The rally was organised under the name ‘Awaaz Marathicha’ (Voice of Marathi) to celebrate the Maharashtra government’s withdrawal of the three-language policy in schools (which proposed to include Hindi as a third language).
Raj Thackeray’s statement: “I had said that Maharashtra is bigger than politics or disputes for me. Today, after 20 years, I and Uddhav have come together. What Balasaheb Thackeray could not do, Devendra Fadnavis has done.” He targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and said that the government is trying to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra. Which Maharashtra and Marathi will never tolerate.
Uddhav’s statement: “We have come together and will remain together.” He praised Raj’s speech and said that it was most important for them to come together on the stage. He attacked the BJP and said that it had misused Balasaheb’s legacy and
Political significance: The meeting has created a stir in Maharashtra politics, fuelling speculations of a possible political alliance for the upcoming municipal elections, especially the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
With the two sharing the stage, the political atmosphere of Maharashtra is expected to change once again. This meeting was not only a celebration of the victory of Marathi asmita, but it is being considered an important event in political circles, which could give a new turn to Maharashtra politics in the future.