Will Uddhav Thackeray Bury Hatchet & Rejoin The BJP-Led NDA? Instances Point To Possible Patch-Up

Seat-sharing negotiations between the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) for the upcoming Maharashtra elections have encountered a major hurdle. Tensions flared when Shiv Sena (UBT) expressed strong objections to the involvement of Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole in the talks. In response, the Congress abruptly canceled its Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting, which was scheduled to finalize candidates on Sunday.

Amid this stalemate, political pundits are not ruling out the possibility of Uddhav Thackeray reconsidering his alliance options, with a few indications of a possible reconciliation between Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). There have been at least three key instances that point to the BJP attempting to mend fences with the Uddhav faction.

The first such incident occurred in July, when senior BJP leader and State Legislative Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil made an unexpected visit to the chamber allocated to Shiv Sena (UBT) in the state legislature building. Patil's warm gesture of offering chocolates to Uddhav Thackeray and other Sena leaders, including Ambadas Danve and Anil Parab, was reciprocated with sweets from the Uddhav camp. On asking about this interaction, Patil had remarked, "Once upon a time, all brothers lived together happily in one house. For some reasons, some of them decided to part ways. This doesn't mean that the feeling of affection between them has died out."

Another instance fueling the rumours was a brief yet significant encounter between Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray. While the meeting was brief, it only added to the speculation. Thackeray, however, downplayed the interaction, jokingly telling the media, "After seeing me and Fadnavis together, people might think that something on the lines of na na karte pyar tumhise kar baithe must be happening between our parties. But that is not the case."

Adding to the intrigue, an event in the Maharashtra Legislative Council earlier =further indicated the evolving dynamic between the BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT). When BJP MLC Lad demanded condemnation of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's supposedly "anti-Hindu" remarks, Uddhav Sena's Ambadas Danve came to Gandhi's defense, using offensive language against Lad. In response, BJP MLCs demanded Danve's suspension, which was approved with majority support. Interestingly, just two days later, it was Chandrakant Patil again who proposed a resolution to reduce Danve's suspension from five days to three, suggesting a softening stance.

Last but not the least, rumours on Monday claimed that Uddhav Thackeray met with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Mumbai.

The BJP and Shiv Sena had contested the 2019 elections as allies, but Thackeray's unexpected decision to break the decades-long partnership and form the Maha Vikas Aghadi with Congress and NCP came as a surprise. However, a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde forced Thackeray to resign, ultimately splitting Shiv Sena. Shinde then became Chief Minister with BJP's backing.

However, some political pundits claim that there is lesser chances of Uddhav joining hands with the BJP as he badly hurt by the saffron party's role in splitting the party. Thackeray's trusted aide Sanjay Raut has denied any talks with the BJP amid speculations of him meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "The BJP not only toppled the Uddhav Thackeray-led government but also broke the party founded by late Balasaheb Thackeray, snatching the party's symbol. How could rumour-mongers even imagine us going with the BJP," asked Raut.

Yet, as history has shown, alliances in politics are rarely permanent. Nitish Kumar's political maneuvers stand as a fine example of how quickly partnerships can shift. All eyes are now on November 23, when the results of the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly elections will be announced, potentially offering a clearer picture of whether Uddhav Thackeray and the BJP will reunite or if the Maha Vikas Aghadi will weather the storm.