Maharashtra politics has always resembled a political thriller, just when you think the plot has settled, a twist upends everything. Election season, especially, amplifies the drama. With local body polls, including the crucial BMC election, around the corner, electoral anxiety has achieved what sentiment and family bonds could not: it has reunited two of the state's most powerful political families.

First, the Thackerays, Uddhav and his cousin Raj, buried a nearly two-decade-old rivalry. Then came the Pawars, with Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar announcing a truce after years of public acrimony. In both cases, there were no emotional speeches, just realpolitik. The message was blunt and unmistakable: this is about elections.

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WHAT'S BEHIND THE THACKERAY REUNION?

"I officially declare that Shiv Sena and MNS are alliance partners," Raj Thackeray announced on December 24, formalising what had been months in the making.

The reconciliation was carefully choreographed. Cordial greetings at social events, muted signals to the media, and finally Raj Thackeray’s return to Matoshree after 13 years for Uddhav Thackeray’s birthday, each step softened the ground.

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