No Thackeray reunion? Now, Raj Thackeray meets Devendra Fadnavis
The meeting came just a day after his party's joint panel with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) was routed in the BEST employees' co-operative credit society polls.
- Aug 21, 2025,
- Updated Aug 21, 2025 2:58 PM IST
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence Varsha on Thursday, triggering speculation of another possible churn in the state politics. The meeting came just a day after his party's joint panel with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) was routed in the BEST employees' co-operative credit society polls.
The Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS coalition, contesting together for the first time, failed to win a single seat out of 21. The BJP-backed panel secured seven, while the panel backed by the BEST workers' union won 14.
The result dealt a blow to the Thackeray cousins, who had united last month after two decades for a joint rally that signaled cooperation in upcoming local body polls.
Fadnavis seized on the loss, saying on Wednesday that the outcome reflected the failure of the "Thackeray brand." The very next day, Raj Thackeray's meeting with the Chief Minister set off speculation of a possible realignment ahead of the BMC elections.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar downplayed the political chatter. "Many leaders meet one another as well as with the chief minister, irrespective of whether they are in power or not. Maintaining communication with each other is the tradition of the state. There is no need to give a political angle to this meeting," Pawar told reporters.
Raj Thackeray later said he discussed civic concerns with the chief minister. "Town planning is an important issue for me. Take any city, Mumbai, Thane, Pune. There is a planning issue. There is no traffic discipline. We are stuck with pigeons and elephants," he told a press conference. Referring to the Dharavi redevelopment, he said, "Just by giving land to Adani, Dharavi will not change. Rather than focusing on 'urban Naxals', these fundamental urban issues must be addressed."
This is not the first time Raj Thackeray has held closed-door meetings with Fadnavis. Before his rally against compulsory Hindi, he also met the Chief Minister privately, drawing similar speculation.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut sought to douse the chatter. He said Raj Thackeray may want to talk to Devendra Fadnavis about the pathetic situation of Mumbai. "In Maharashtra politics, opposition party leaders meet the Chief Minister. Raj Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis have met before. Only Raj Thackeray can tell the purpose of today’s meeting," Raut said. He added that Raj could even have gone to invite Fadnavis for Ganpati.
On the BEST elections, Raut dismissed the defeat as minor. "It was an election for a credit union. Its discussion and importance are limited to the BEST depot," he remarked.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence Varsha on Thursday, triggering speculation of another possible churn in the state politics. The meeting came just a day after his party's joint panel with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) was routed in the BEST employees' co-operative credit society polls.
The Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS coalition, contesting together for the first time, failed to win a single seat out of 21. The BJP-backed panel secured seven, while the panel backed by the BEST workers' union won 14.
The result dealt a blow to the Thackeray cousins, who had united last month after two decades for a joint rally that signaled cooperation in upcoming local body polls.
Fadnavis seized on the loss, saying on Wednesday that the outcome reflected the failure of the "Thackeray brand." The very next day, Raj Thackeray's meeting with the Chief Minister set off speculation of a possible realignment ahead of the BMC elections.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar downplayed the political chatter. "Many leaders meet one another as well as with the chief minister, irrespective of whether they are in power or not. Maintaining communication with each other is the tradition of the state. There is no need to give a political angle to this meeting," Pawar told reporters.
Raj Thackeray later said he discussed civic concerns with the chief minister. "Town planning is an important issue for me. Take any city, Mumbai, Thane, Pune. There is a planning issue. There is no traffic discipline. We are stuck with pigeons and elephants," he told a press conference. Referring to the Dharavi redevelopment, he said, "Just by giving land to Adani, Dharavi will not change. Rather than focusing on 'urban Naxals', these fundamental urban issues must be addressed."
This is not the first time Raj Thackeray has held closed-door meetings with Fadnavis. Before his rally against compulsory Hindi, he also met the Chief Minister privately, drawing similar speculation.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut sought to douse the chatter. He said Raj Thackeray may want to talk to Devendra Fadnavis about the pathetic situation of Mumbai. "In Maharashtra politics, opposition party leaders meet the Chief Minister. Raj Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis have met before. Only Raj Thackeray can tell the purpose of today’s meeting," Raut said. He added that Raj could even have gone to invite Fadnavis for Ganpati.
On the BEST elections, Raut dismissed the defeat as minor. "It was an election for a credit union. Its discussion and importance are limited to the BEST depot," he remarked.