Meetings between Thackeray cousins just to woo Marathi votes in Mumbai, says Yogesh Kadam

Pune, Sep 11 (PTI) Maharashtra minister Yogesh Kadam on Thursday said MNS president Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray are joining hands only to woo Marathi-speaking voters in Mumbai but such a move would not succeed.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Bala Nandgaonkar said discussions are going on between the Thackeray cousins, though he did not provide details.

Speaking to reporters here, Kadam, part of the Eknath Shinde-led Sena, said, "Those who did not see eye to eye for years are suddenly coming together because they want Marathi votes. There is no other motive. But their attempt will not yield results as people know everything." While Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS workers are enthusiastic about the alliance, it was doubtful how much it would translate into votes, he added.

On Wednesday, Uddhav visited Raj’s home ‘Shivtirth’ in Mumbai’s Dadar area, and the two leaders held talks for nearly two and a half hours. This was their second known meeting in the past two weeks.

Kadam also attacked Uddhav Thackeray claiming the latter, as chief minister, did not take decisions in favour of Marathi speakers.

"Why was the affordable housing project for Marathi speaking people not implemented then the way it has been implemented by Eknath Shinde? The percentage of Marathi people in Mumbai has declined from 35 per cent to 7 per cent," Kadam claimed.

Civic elections are due in several cities in the state, including Mumbai and it adjoining metropolitan region. The terms of many civic bodies ended in early 2022 and these are being run by state government-appointed administrators. PTI SPK BNM