MUMBAI, Dec. 25 -- Reconnecting after two decades, the Thackeray cousins announced their political alliance on Wednesday for the January 15 civic polls in Maharashtra. The announcement was made at a hotel in Worli after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray drove down to Shivaji Park together to offer tributes at Sena founder Bal Thackeray's memorial. "Maharashtra was waiting for this moment -- Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS have formed an alliance," said Raj. Advancing the poll pitch, Uddhav added: "The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had said 'batenge to katenge'; we want to tell the Marathi people that we will be finished if we stay divided." The proclamation was welcomed with loud applause by workers of both parties who had turned up at the venue in large numbers and the energetic beats of dhol tasha players, invited by Sena (UBT). Workers were seen hugging each other in the presence of senior leaders of both the parties, wives of the cousins Rashmi and Sharmila Thackeray, and sons Aaditya and Amit. Reacting to the announcement, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said: "This is their existential fight. They are resorting to politics of appeasement. It is not as if Russia and Ukraine have united. The Marathi people in Mumbai will support the Mahayuti and we will win the civic polls." The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is crucial for the Thackerays, since the undivided Shiv Sena ruled the civic body for three decades. Following the Opposition's rout in last year's Assembly elections, which saw the BJP-led Mahayuti returning to power with an overwhelming majority, the Thackeray cousins decided to forge ties, using the Marathi manoos plank to win the civic body. Recalling the Samyukta Maharashtra mass movement of the late 1950s, to include Mumbai in Maharashtra following formation of states on the basis of language, Uddhav said: "The representatives of those who wanted to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra at that time are now sitting in Delhi. Those who try to do that will be finished politically." Pointing to the recent spree of poaching by BJP and Shiv Sena, Raj added: "Kidnapping gangs in the state have been flourishing lately, and now two more gangs have joined them to kidnap children in political parties." The parties will function in an alliance for elections in civic bodies in Mumbai, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Nashik; seat-sharing details will be announced shortly, said Raj. While Congress has decided to go solo, the third partner in the Opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the Nationalist Congress Party (SP), is yet to decide whether it will align with the Thackerays or Congress. According to rough estimates, it is learnt that Shiv Sena (UBT) is likely to contest 150 to 160 seats while MNS will most likely contest around 65 seats in the 227-seat BMC. Neither party wishes to contest the remaining seats. If MNS does not have candidates to field, Sena (UBT) will have to field its candidates for those seats. Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, who played a crucial role in bringing the cousins together, said, "Only Thackerays can lead Maharashtra." Raj Thackeray exited Shiv Sena in 2005, following differences with Uddhav, to float his own party - MNS - in 2006. The estranged cousins found a common purpose following the drubbing in the Assembly elections in 2024, when Sena (UBT) won 20 seats, including 10 in Mumbai, while MNS failed to secure any seat. Raj set the ball rolling in May 2025 on a podcast by filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar, where he indicated that the brothers must realign, "setting aside minor disputes, in the interest of Maharashtra". Uddhav also responded in the affirmative, at a party meeting the same day. They were backed by senior leaders of both sides. The cousins' intent was fortified when the ruling Mahayuti government set out to make the reading of Hindi compulsory as a third language in primary schools. Sena (UBT) and MNS opposed the decision and initiated a collective protest. The government was compelled to roll back its decision, which the duo celebrated together in a public event. Apart from Raut, MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar, and Uddhav and Raj's maternal uncle Chandu Vaidya, facilitated the alliance between the cousins. "They both felt that this was the need of the hour and decided to come together for the Marathi manoos and Mumbai. I had more than 15 meetings with Raj, and met Uddhav after the podcast," said Raut. Vaidya added: "I have been trying to unite them since the day Raj went away. It was their destiny to unite on December 24." Nandgaonkar called the move a "dream come true". "I had promised the late Balasaheb Thackeray that I will bring the brothers together," he said. On the way forward, political commentator Abhay Deshpande said, "The two parties need an alliance to survive. Blood is thicker than water and politics is thicker than blood. They did not acknowledge one another for 20 years; the political climate compelled them to realign. They will have an advantage in the forthcoming polls, and Sena (UBT) will be on a moral high. There will be less vote division. It remains to be seen whether the anti-BJP voter, who came with Uddhav after he joined MVA, will support them after the alliance with MNS."...