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Rashmi Thackeray is the wife of the 19th CM of Maharashtra and Shiv Sena chief, Uddhav Thackeray. She is the editor of Shiv Sena’s weekly cartoon Magazine, “Marmik,” and also Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece and daily newspaper “Saamana.” Rashmi is believed to be the woman behind the rise of Uddhav Thackeray.
Wiki/Biography
Rashmi Thackeray was born into a middle-class business family in Dombivli, Maharashtra. She graduated in Bachelor of Commerce from Mulund’s V.G. Vaze College of Arts, Science, and Commerce in the 1980s’.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 9″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family & Caste
Parents & Siblings
Rashmi’s father, Madhav Patankar, used to run a small chemical production business. Madhav died at the age of 78 in June 2020. She is the second of the three children of her parents. Rashmi’s brother, Shridhar Patankar, runs a real estate company by the name Samved Real Estate Private Limited.
Rashmi’s late father, Madhav Patankar
Husband & Children
Rashmi got married to Uddhav Thackeray on 13 December 1989. Rashmi is the youngest daughter-in-law of the Shiv Sena founder, Bal Thackeray.
Rashmi Thackeray with her husband, Uddhav Thackeray
The couple has two sons, Aaditya and Tejas. The elder one, Aditya, is an MLA from Mumbai’s Worli and the president of the Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the Shiv Sena. On the other hand, Tejas, a conservationist and wildlife researcher, has chosen to stay away from politics.
From Left: Aaditya Thackeray, Rashmi Thackeray, Tejas Thackeray, and Uddhav Thackeray
Career
In 1987, Rashmi Thackeray joined the LIC under its 180-day scheme for contract employees. It was at LIC where she became friends with Jayjaywanti, sister of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who later introduced Rashmi to Uddhav Thackeray. Apart from being a backroom player in politics, Rashmi also has a number of business ventures to her name. According to The Quint, she has a business partnership in three firms and also holds the position of director in “Samved Real Estate Private Limited” and “Sahyog Dealers Private Limited.” In 2020, she was appointed as the editor of Shiv Sena’s weekly cartoon Magazine, “Marmik,” and also Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece and daily newspaper “Saamana.”
Facts/Trivia
- Rashmi and Uddhav left the Thackeray residence after their marriage and stayed on their own for two years.
- According to a report in Hindustan Times, Rashmi wanted Uddhav to take over the reins of the state in 1999 if the party returned to power; however, Shiv Sena lost that election by a margin of a few seats.
- Rashmi likes to stay in the background but knows everything about mainstream politics. She is often seen meeting women party workers and leaders of the Shiv Sena.
Rashmi Thackeray with the Shiv Sena workers
- Reportedly, even at a time when the Thackeray cousins, Raj and Uddhav, were in the run to inherit Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s legacy, Rashmi Thackeray played a big role in convincing the party patriarch to make room for Uddhav Thackeray as his heir.
- She is considered the second most powerful person or the undeclared vice-president of the Shiv Sena by political analysts.
- The Shiv Sena workers respectfully call Rashmi Thackeray as “Vahinisaheb.”
- She is always accompanied by her husband or her children whenever she goes out in public.
- Uddhav as a teenager was not interested in making a career in politics; it was Rashmi who is credited by many to be the driving force behind the rise of Uddhav Thackeray from a wildlife photographer to a politician and then the CM of Maharashtra.
- Along with being an affectionate daughter, a loving mother and a committed wife, Rashmi has a good ear for music. She is an avid fan of Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali.