Sanjay Raut has taken a two-month break from public life due to serious health issues, prompting PM Modi to wish him a speedy recovery, and Raut expressed his gratitude. Ahead of the upcoming local body elections and BMC elections in Maharashtra, the absence of Raut, a vocal critic of PM Modi and a key strategist for the Shiv Sena (UBT), is politically significant.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday wished Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut a speedy recovery. This comes shortly after Raut announced his break from public life due to a “serious health issue.

” The conversation began when Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the most prominent faces of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction, revealed his condition. Prime Minister Modi posted on Twitter, “Sanjay Raut ji, I wish you a speedy recovery and good health.” Responding to the message, Raut wrote in Hindi, “Respected Prime Minister, thank you! My family is grateful to you! Jai Hind! Jai Maharashtra!”

Earlier on Friday, Raut had informed his followers on Instagram that he was undergoing treatment and had been advised not to meet in public. He wrote, “You all have given me love and trust. But I have developed serious health problems and am undergoing treatment. I will recover.” He expressed hope of recovering by next year, writing, “As per medical advice, I have been advised not to go out or meet in public.”

Raut was expected to join the opposition’s protest against the Election Commission on November 1. Raut’s temporary disappearance from public view comes at a crucial time, as Maharashtra is preparing for several important local body elections. Municipal council elections are expected to be held in mid-November, followed by district council elections in December. The high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections are likely to be held in January.

The BMC, which the undivided Shiv Sena controlled for more than two decades, is a crucial political and symbolic battleground for Raut’s party after the 2022 split. As a key strategist and the most vocal voice of the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction, Raut’s absence will be deeply felt during these elections.

Raut has been a frequent and sharp critic of Prime Minister Modi and the central government. In November 2024, he criticized the Prime Minister’s “Ek Hai To Surakshit Hai” slogan, saying, “People in Maharashtra are already safe, but whenever Modi comes, the state becomes unsafe because he sows divisions and creates unrest.”

This was followed by an accusation in April 2024, when Raut alleged that Prime Minister Modi was violating the Model Code of Conduct by “using his position for campaigning” ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and claimed that his recent visit to Mumbai was to “find land to give to (Gautam) Adani.”

His criticism has also touched on foreign policy and the judiciary. In August 2023, after China released a new map, Raut challenged the Prime Minister, asking, “Do you have the courage to carry out a surgical strike on China?”

In September 2024, he questioned Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the residence of then-Chief Justice DY Chandrachud for Ganpati puja and expressed “doubts whether we will get justice” in the ongoing disqualification case in Maharashtra.

While Sanjay Raut is stepping back to focus on his health, the political stage in Maharashtra is set for several crucial electoral contests, with one of the most prominent opposition voices temporarily sidelined.