The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has dismissed the possibility of any political impact arising from the recent series of meetings between Maharashtra political leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray. Speculation has been rife about a potential alliance between the estranged brothers ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
Responding to the speculation, senior BJP leader Pravin Darekar said the meetings would not influence the electoral outcome. “The meetings between the Thackeray brothers will have no effect whatsoever on the elections,” Darekar told reporters. “People have already given a clear mandate to the Mahayuti during the Assembly elections. A large number of our MLAs have been elected from Mumbai. With the Metro Rail and Coastal Road projects, Mumbai is changing rapidly and witnessing major progress.”
Darekar emphasised that while the meetings may have attracted public attention, they carried no political weight. “It’s natural for two brothers to meet. They are leaders of two different parties, and this is part of a democratic process. Even alliances like the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi have multiple parties, so what’s new here?” he remarked. He further added that even a family reunion after two decades would have “no political impact whatsoever.”
In a pointed critique of both Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, Darekar accused them of drifting away from the legacy of their father, the late Balasaheb Thackeray. “People have seen the Thackerays for 30–35 years, but they neither upheld Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology nor retained their love for Mumbai and the Marathi people,” he said.
