MUMBAI, 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 and Marathi manoos'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. "Leaders in Delhi and Maharashtra are trembling. They know their politics will collapse like a house of cards if the brothers unite - especially Eknath Shinde." Raut also alleged that Shinde, during his recent meeting with Amit Shah, asked if he could merge with the BJP and even pitched himself as chief minister of Maharashtra- just to attain power in order to block the Thackeray reconciliation. "Shinde knows Fadnavis can't stop the reunion. He begged Shah to intervene," Raut wrote. At the heart of the speculation is the symbolic joint rally held by Uddhav and Raj on July 5, where they protested the imposition of Hindi as a third language in schools, terming it a threat to Marathi identity. Uddhav made an emotional pitch, saying the brothers had come together "to stay together". But Raj, while echoing the Marathi cause, stopped short of endorsing a formal political alliance. For now, the MNS appears non-committal. "Such decisions are taken by our supreme leader," said MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar. "Raj Thackeray will decide on the right time. We are ready for all possibilities - including contesting alone." While Sena (UBT) continues to drum up public sentiment around the Thackeray thaw, Raut has also tried to stir the pot on regional identity politics, claiming growing resentment among Marathi speakers towards the perceived dominance of Jains and Gujaratis under Amit Shah's policies. The BJP, however, has dismissed the entire episode as a desperate spectacle. "This shows the helplessness of Uddhav, Aaditya and Raut," said BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye. "They once called Raj and his party irrelevant, even finished. Now they're chasing him for an alliance. This is survival."...