Mumbai is gearing up for a grand celebration on July 5, as the Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray has announced a ‘Marathi Vijay Melava’ (Victory Rally) following the Maharashtra government’s withdrawal of two controversial government resolutions (GRs) mandating Hindi as a compulsory third language from Class 1 under the three-language formula.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut shared an image proclaiming, “It’s settled. July 5 – A Victory Rally for Marathi! Thackeray is coming…” and captioned it with “Jai Maharashtra.”

Although it is speculated that the rally might see a joint celebration with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray, there is no official confirmation from either the Sena (UBT) or the MNS about the two Thackeray brothers coming together at the event.

Originally planned as a protest march against the imposition of Hindi, the July 5 gathering has now transformed into a celebration of what opposition parties are calling a people-powered victory for Marathi identity. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had earlier coordinated with the MNS to protest the GRs, and both Uddhav and Raj Thackeray were scheduled to address a joint protest rally. However, after the government rolled back the GRs on Sunday, the event has been converted into a triumph rally for Marathi pride.

Announcing the change, Uddhav Thackeray said, “Even though the protest has been called off, a victory rally will still take place. This is not just a rollback of two government decisions, it’s a win for every Marathi-speaking citizen who stood up for their language.”

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, joined by Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, announced the rollback during a press conference. He also declared the formation of an expert committee headed by Dr Narendra Jadhav to re-examine the three-language policy after wide-ranging stakeholder consultations. The government reiterated that Marathi would remain compulsory in schools and that further policy would be guided by the committee’s recommendations.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS had sharply opposed the compulsory Hindi GRs, describing them as an assault on the linguistic identity of Maharashtra. The issue was first raised by the MNS, with the Thackeray-led Sena then intensifying the protests. Sustained pressure from both parties ultimately forced the state government to withdraw the decision.