India, July 14 -- As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections draw near, the political temperature in Maharashtra has shot up, fuelled by the growing buzz of a possible truce between the long-estranged Thackeray cousins - Uddhav and Raj.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) is now openly rooting for a reconciliation, calling it "the need of the hour" to protect Maharashtra's interests. The party claims that the ruling dispensation - both in Mumbai and Delhi - is desperately trying to sabotage the reunion, fearing it could spell the end for several political careers.

"The very idea of Uddhav and Raj joining hands has rattled the ruling parties," wrote Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut in his latest column in Saamana, the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece. "Lea...