Uddhav Thackeray

Some Lesser Known Facts About Uddhav Thackeray

• He was a published author and a professional photographer before entering politics, and he was also reluctant to join politics.

  

• His wife, Rashmi Thackeray is from Dombivali, Mumbai. They met in college, fell in love, and got married on 13 December 1988.

• Uddhav had started an advertising agency named “Chowrang;” before getting into politics. However, the agency was not a success and it was soon closed down. ^[7]The Quint

• His wife, Rashmi Thackeray convinced him to join politics. She has been a part of many important decisions of the Shiv Sena. Reportedly, she was the one who had proposed that the Shiv Sena should part ways with the BJP if they were not offered an equal seat share and power if the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly Elections. ^[8]Mid Day

  

• He has worked in the Shiv Sena in many capacities and he is considered as a Shiv Sainik who has worked in Maharashtra at the grassroots level. He is also credited to help the Shiv Sena secure many political victories.

• It’s still not clear that when did Uddhav enter into politics, and it was in 2002 that people noticed him for the first time when the Shiv Sena won the BMC elections under his leadership.

  

• Like his father, he has refrained from working at the national level and is only concerned with working for the welfare of the people of Maharashtra.

• Uddhav’s cousin Raj Thackeray, broke away from the Shiv Sena in 2006 and founded the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

  

• Since June 2006, he has been the Editor in Chief of Shiv Sena’s political mouthpiece, Saamana.

  

• His elder son Aditya Thackeray is the president of the Yuva Sena (youth wing of the Shiv Sena).

  

• In July 2012, Uddhav was admitted to Lilavati Hospital after he complained of chest pain. He underwent an angioplasty and all the three blockages in his arteries were successfully removed.

• Uddhav loves photography. He has published two photo-books titled “Maharashtra Desh” (2010) and “Pahava Vitthal” (2011). The photo-books portray various aspects of Maharashtra and the varkaris (pilgrims) during the Pandharpur Yatra.

  

• In November 2019, after the results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections were announced, he was involved in a political shakeup with their ally BJP over the seat-sharing formula. Uddhav demanded a shared Chief Minister post from the Shiv Sena for two and a half years. However, the BJP said that there had been no discussions about the seat-sharing before the elections, and the Shiv Sena was causing unnecessary delay in the government formation.

• In December 2019, Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena said that there will be a Shiv Sena Chief Minister, and they will go to any lengths to secure the CM post. Eventually, the Shiv Sena broke their 30-year alliance with the BJP and allied with the NCP and the Congress to form the government. The new alliance also announced that Uddhav will be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

  

• On 28 November 2019, he was sworn-in as the 19th Chief Minister of Maharashtra by Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the Governor of Maharashtra.

  

• Here’s an interesting video about Uddhav Thackeray’s biography: