Congress will negotiate only with Uddhav, Sharad Pawar: Prithviraj Chavan on Maharashtra merger buzz
Mr. Chavan, however, made it clear that if the NCP merger happens and if that party goes with the NDA, it would become difficult for the Congress to continue the alliance with them in Maharashtra.
In an interview with PTI, he dubbed the talk of coming together of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) as a "family matter".
"If we go in an alliance (in the local body polls), we will have a seat sharing with the leaders of the alliance partners, that is Mr. Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Mr. Sharad Pawar of the NCP (SP). Now, with whom they do a sub-alliance is entirely their situation," Mr. Chavan, a senior Congress leader, said "If the person is completely against the values that the Congress stands for, then we will raise some objections; otherwise, it is an internal family matter and how they do seat adjustments in case we go with an alliance [in the local body polls]," he said.
Asked specifically about Raj Thackeray, Mr. Chavan told PTI, "Our experience is that he is a senior leader in Maharashtra politics. He is a big crowd puller; whenever he has a public meeting, there are huge crowds. But that doesn't get translated into votes, and that is why he has no presence in the current Maharashtra Assembly." There is a view that former Shiv Sena votes will combine together and they may get some benefit, he said on the positives of the Thackeray cousins coming together.
"We will only negotiate with Mr. Uddhav Thackeray and Mr. Sharad Pawar," Mr. Chavan asserted.
For the first time in 20 years, estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray will share the stage on July 5 at a joint "victory" rally organised by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS to celebrate the rollback of the contentious government resolutions (GRs) on the three-language policy.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, led by Mr. Uddhav and Raj, respectively, on Tuesday (July 1, 2025) issued a joint public invitation for the "Marathi Vijay Diwas" event to be held at the NSCI Dome in Worli.
The joint invitation, titled 'Marathicha Awaaz', is the first official announcement of the event. It doesn't carry a party symbol or flag, except a graphic image of Maharashtra. It mentions the names of Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray as hosts.
Raj Thackeray, nephew of late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, resigned from the party in January 2006, apparently due to differences with Uddhav.
During an interview a few months ago, Raj Thackeray said uniting in the interests of "Marathi manoos" was not difficult, while Uddhav also indicated his willingness to join hands with his cousin.
On the buzz that there could be a merger between the NCP factions led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, Mr. Chavan said, "Exactly, the same answer, it is a family matter. It is for them to decide who merges into which group and who becomes the leader of the merged party." "It is not very easy because the grassroots elected legislators and parliamentarians have a view that for development work to be done, there should be an alliance with the ruling party so that we get some benefit for the nursing of our constituencies while other people are saying 'we cannot align with A, B or C when we fought so hard'," Mr. Chavan said.
He, however, added that he does not know what will happen with NCP's case, whether they will come together or not, who will merge into which party, who will be the leader in case of a merger or will individual units directly join the NDA.
"So, all options are open, and it is for them to take a call. I don't think we will be asked for advice, but we are watching the situation. If they become part of the NDA, then it will become difficult to continue the alliance in Maharashtra," he said on the speculation over the NCP merger.
The Nationalist Congress Party, founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999, split in July 2023 when Ajit Pawar, along with several other leaders, joined the BJP-led government in Maharashtra. Ajit was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister.
The party name and its clock symbol were given to the Ajit Pawar faction, while the one headed by the former Union Agriculture Minister was christened NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
In a veiled reference to his estranged nephew Ajit Pawar amid a buzz about the reunion of the NCP factions, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar had last month said that those who indulged in opportunistic politics by joining hands with the BJP can not be "encouraged".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
MNS chief Raj Thackeray visits Matoshree after years on cousin Uddhav Thackeray's birthday, calls him 'Shiv Sena chief'
MNS chief Raj Thackeray visits Matoshree after years on cousin Uddhav Thackeray's birthday, calls him 'Shiv Sena chief' MUMBAI/NAGPUR: Amid speculation about an alliance between Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS for the civic polls, Raj Thackeray made a rare visit to Matoshree, Uddhav Thackeray's residence, to wish his "big brother" on his 65th birthday. Uddhav welcomed Raj with a hug, while the latter presented him a bouquet of red roses. After the courtesies, the cousins spoke for close to 20 minutes. Raj also paid tributes to his late uncle Bal Thackeray's memorial chair on the first floor at Matoshree. Since parting ways with Shiv Sena two decades ago, Raj has visited Matoshree just a couple of times, the last time in 2019 to invite Uddhav to his son's wedding. In what's seen as a snub to deputy CM and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, Raj later referred to Uddhav as "Shiv Sena chief" on X. While political observers said the two cousins meeting second time in less than a month is an indication of a political reunion for the local body polls slated for Nov-Dec, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis downplayed it, terming the visit purely personal. "Raj Thackeray met Uddhav on account of his birthday. I don't think one should see a political angle in everything," said Fadnavis, while speaking to reporters in Nagpur. Responding to an earlier remark on the possibility of the alliance by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut that "whatever is in the mind of Maharashtra will ultimately happen", Fadnavis said, "I feel there is something only in the mind of certain leaders. Else, what's in the mind of Maharashtra we got to know during [assembly] polls." Speaking briefly to the media after Raj's visit, Uddhav appeared visibly emotional. "I am very happy. I am overwhelmed...," he said, declining to elaborate. Later, Raj said in a post on X: "On the occasion of my big brother, Shiv Sena chief, Uddhav Thackeray's birthday, I visited Matoshree, the residence of the late Balasaheb Thackeray, to extend my best wishes." Raj's reference to Uddhav as Shiv Sena chief was also a snub to deputy chief minister Ekanth Shinde, who is president of the Shiv Sena officially recognised by the Election Commission (EC) after the party split. Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and MLC Ambadas Danve and MNS netas Bala Nandgaonkar and Nitin Sardesai were among those present during Raj's visit to Matoshree, which was decked up with flowers and banners to mark Uddhav's birthday. At midnight, Uddhav cut a cake with wife Rashmi and son Aaditya amid sloganeering in a room packed with Sainiks. "All together, No problem at all!" Raut said in a post on X, sharing a group photo with Raj and Uddhav. "Both the brothers did it without saying a word. This is the beginning of the future. This incident united the divided Maharashtra, there cannot be a happier day like today. Therefore, today is a day of joy and inspiration for the Marathi people," Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav said. Political observers said Raj's visit to Matoshree was a reciprocal step to Uddhav's comments that the two cousins had "come together to be together" during the July 5 'victory rally' in Mumbai after state govt withdrew its decision to introduce Hindi from classes 1 to 5. "At the July 5 rally itself Uddhav had said that the two cousins have come together to stay together. Later too, Uddhav made it clear that an alliance was on the cards in his interviews and speeches. So, Raj seems to have taken a step forward by visiting him," said a political observer. "Raj going to Matoshree also has sentimental value for Shiv Sainiks; it is a kind of homecoming. In fact, it has more optical and sentimental value than the two cousins coming together at the rally at Worli's NSCI Dome. In the minds of the Sainiks, Matoshree has sanctity and Raj going there is also an acceptance on his part of Uddhav as a big brother and Sena (UBT) president. With this visit, Raj has kept the momentum alive and not let the curiosity of the reunion die down after the Hindi imposition issue."
The Hindu
40 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Muslim hawker assaulted in Meerut; attempt to create fear, says opposition
After a Muslim cloth peddler was brutally assaulted at Fatehpur Narayan village, under Kithor police station limits, in Meerut district, opposition parties alleged on Sunday that the incident was a targeted attack designed to create fear. While villagers and police claimed Arif was mistaken for a thief, the victim's wife alleged that they were being forced to modify the complaint by the police. 'We have submitted a petition; the case is yet to be registered. My husband, who was selling clothes, was beaten, and now we are being pressured to change the petition by the Sub-Inspector,' said Tausima, the victim's wife, in a viral video. The Hindu reached out to the Meerut police, including the Circle Officer, but failed to get any response. Mob attack The incident happened on July 26. The victim, along with one companion, was selling clothes in the village when 10-15 people gathered and began calling him a thief, demanded his Aadhar card, and proceeded to beat him up. He was taken to Meerut Medical College for treatment. 'This incident shows that there is a complete breakdown of law and order in the state. No one has the right to take the law into their hands; some people emboldened by the dispensation are attempting to create a Jangal Raj kind of situation in U.P.; it is a lynching attempt that aims to create fear,' said Imran Masood, Lok Sabha MP and a senior Congress leader. Lok Sabha MP from Ghazipur, Afzal Ansari, said, 'I condemn this incident, it is clear that the accused have no fear of the administration and rule of law. They know no proper action will be taken, and this encourages them to attack poor Muslims.'
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Only Dhankhar, PM Modi know real reason behind VP's exit: Mallikarjun Kharge
NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said he has no information on the actual reason for Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation as Vice President, holding that it was for Dhankhar to tell what really happened, as the matter was between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi . "I don't know all those details. He (Dhankhar) was always on the govt's side. He should say what happened," Kharge was reported as saying by news agency PTI, in response to a question on whether Dhankhar was forced to resign as he spoke in favour of farmers. Kharge was at Vijayapura in Karnataka. "When we raised several issues concerning farmers, the poor, international issues or foreign policy, he never used to give us an opportunity (in Rajya Sabha as its Chairman)," the Congress president said. "When we tried to raise issues by giving notices on issues regarding the poor, atrocities against women, Dalits and the downtrodden, and incidents like Hindu-Muslim clashes, he did not give us an opportunity. It (the reason for Dhankhar's resignation as Vice President) is between him and Modi. We don't have any information on that," Kharge clarified. Notwithstanding Kharge's stance, senior leaders from his party have, since Dhankhar's abrupt departure as VP, have been asserting that there is far more to the episode than meets the eye.
