Uddhav Thackeray is an Indian politician and the son of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. He served as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, forming a coalition — the Maha Vikas Aghadi — with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Uddhav Thackeray entered politics in 2002 when he joined the Shiv Sena’s campaign as the in-charge of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, and he was elected party head in 2013 following Balasaheb Thackeray’s death in 2012.
In 2022, three years after the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to power, the Shiv Sena the split, with senior leader Eknath Shinde rebelling along with several lawmakers. They joined hands with the BJP to form the government in Maharashtra. Today, Uddhav Thackeray’s party is know as the Shiv Sena (UBT). The rebels criticised Uddhav Thackeray partnering with centre-left parties such as the Congress and the NCP, which showed a softer approach to politics, a change from the party’s hardcore pro-Hindu image.
Besides politics, Uddhav Thackeray is a photographer, with two books to his credit and his work displayed in Mumbai’s top art galleries.
The fact that the Shiv Sena, unlike Chandrababu Naidu, has not left the governments at the Centre and in the state offers some hope that the alliance can be saved. Absent that, with the Congress and the NCP coming together, neither partner can return to power. If the SS wishes to cut a better deal with the BJP, there are more graceful ways of doing so.