Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supremo Raj Thackeray's visit to 'Matoshree', the residence of Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, has no political significance, and what happened during the 2024 assembly elections in the state will be repeated during the local body polls.
Fadnavis made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Nagpur.
"That the two met is a matter of joy. Why should it be viewed from a political angle? He (Raj) went to extend his birthday greetings. Our greetings are also with Uddhav ji," he said.
"What is in the minds of the people of Maharashtra was reflected in the Assembly elections, and it will be reflected again in the upcoming local body polls. To say that what is in the minds of certain party leaders is also in the minds of the people of Maharashtra would be a very big statement," he added.
Raj Thackeray's Matoshree visit
Earlier in the day, Raj went to Matoshree, his visit since 2019, when he had gone to the Thackeray residence to invite them to his son Amit's wedding. Before this, he visited Matoshree in 2012 following the demise of Bal Thackeray.
During his visit on Sunday, Raj extended his wishes to Uddhav, who is celebrating his 65th birthday. The two also clicked a photograph with a portrait of Bal Thackeray in the background. Later, Uddhav said he was "extremely glad" about Raj's visit, adding that he hopes that the future will be good to them.
"Raj visited and wished me on my birthday — it means a lot to me. His visit has more than doubled my happiness. There is only one Shiv Sena. There are not two Shiv Senas," Uddhav said on Raj's visit to Matoshree.
Raj had left the undivided Shiv Sena in 2005, saying he never received the desired respect from Matoshree. A year later, he formed the MNS. However, it seems that the political distance between Raj and Uddhav is slowly reducing. Recently, the two also organised the victory rally in Mumbai in protest against the Maharashtra government's directive to introduce Hindi as a third language from Class 1 in state schools.
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