Uddhav Thackeray interview | ‘Not in a battle of survival, fight is against the BJP’

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday (January 9, 2026) expressed displeasure with the Congress, which has split with his party for the upcoming civic elections in Mumbai and 28 other cities in Maharashtra. “You should ask the Congress. They suddenly broke ties with us without talking to me. Why did they do that?” he asked during an exclusive conversation with The Hindu. He also hit out at the BJP. “When I was forced to join hands with the Congress after they backstabbed me, they accused me of leaving Hindutva. Why did the BJP leave Hindutva in Ambarnath then?”

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader was referring to the Ambernath Municipal Council, where 12 Maharashtra Congress councillors, were suspended for allying with BJP. When asked about the fate of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra and the INDIA bloc at the national level, he said he would want to see all those fighting against the BJP to join hands.

He expressed confidence in Shiv Sena (UBT)’s victory in the elections. When asked if he wants to see the Pawar family reunite too, Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, who had recently reunited with his cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray, said he wanted to see families everywhere “reunited”. Asked about the impact his reconciliation with Mr. Raj Thackeray would have on the 2029 election, he said, “I don’t want to speculate. I see good impact. Why should I think otherwise?”

Election to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the country’s richest civic body, is to be held on January 15. Over 1,700 candidates are in the fray across 227 wards, with counting set for January 16. The Thackerays have come together after a gap of two decades, leading to the Congress’s exit from the State alliance, citing the MNS’s anti-migrant stance. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) has, however, stayed with the Shiv Sena (UBT) in Mumbai, but the party has traditionally had insignificant presence in Mumbai. Meanwhile, the ruling Mahayuti is fighting the election as a single bloc.

When asked if it was the battle for survival that had brought the two cousins together, he denied such claims, arguing the Thackeray family had traditionally fought for Marathi pride and will continue to do so.

“If you look at Shiv Sena’s history since its formation, we have lost more elections than we have won. I don’t agree this is a ‘battle of survival’ for us. Electoral victories and losses happen. The BJP on the other hand wants to finish the Shiv Sena because it wants to gain complete control over Mumbai and hand it over to the ‘masters in Delhi’. But the Thackerays have always stood for Mumbai and the Marathi, since the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. The Thackeray legacy stands for Maharashtra, Marathis and Hindutva. At a time when the BJP wears the mask of Hindutva to finish off Marathi pride and identity, two brothers fighting for Marathis should join hands. This is what has brought us together,” he said.

Expressing anguish against the BJP, he said the Thackerays will fight against its “dictatorship”, which seeks to impose “one language, one party, and one election”. Giving the example of party’s fight against the government’s decision to implement three-language policy in primary education, he said the local language and culture needs to be respected, and that Hindi should not be imposed.

“Don’t impose Hindi on us. We can talk in Hindi. But we will not tolerate dictatorship. We believe in unity in diversity. You can’t impose one language, one party on everyone. It is not acceptable,” he said.

Amid the BJP’s narrative that “any Khan will become the Mayor of Mumbai” if the Shiv Sena (UBT) won the BMC polls, he said only a Marathi will become a Mayor of Mumbai. “We are not asking for a Marathi Mayor in Gujarat. So far, the Shiv Sena has given 23 Mayors to Mumbai, and all of them have been Marathis. It is futile when BJP tries to divert the narrative. We will win and Mumbai will have a Marathi Mayor,” he said. “I want to ask Mr. Fadnavis, ‘Are you a Marathi or not? Are you a Hindu or not?’”

Mr. Uddhav Thackeray said the BJP was a threat to the regional aspirations across the country. “Our fight is similar to what [Tamil Nadu Chief Minister] Mr. Stalin is fighting against in Tamil Nadu and [Bengal Chief Minister] Ms. Mamata Banerjee in Bengal. But if you look at the scenario right now, the Congress has joined hands with the BJP. The BJP has gone to AIMIM. Who is fighting against the BJP?” he asked.

Mr. Uddhav Thackeray said the process to sideline Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had begun, and it was reflected in the Ambarnath situation. “Raj and I have come together to bring the Marathi votes together. But gaddar [traitor] is being used by Delhi to divide that vote. Gujarat wants to capture Mumbai, so Shinde is being used. They will throw him after use, like they did in Thane. Now, BJP Minister Ganesh Naik has unearthed the FSI [Floor Space Index] scam in Navi Mumbai. Who is it against? It is clear,” he said.

He said that his party’s vision for Mumbai was clean air, better public infrastructure, water availability. “We have been showcasing the work we did in Mumbai for all these years with our campaign Karun Dakhavla [We have done it].”