Uddhav Thackeray, born into a Marathi family on 27th July 1960, was the youngest son of politician Bal Thackeray and Meena Thackeray. He pursued his schooling at Balmohan Vidyamandir and graduated from Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art with a major in photography.

His political journey began in 2002 when he took charge as the campaign incharge of Shiv Sena in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, contributing to the party's success. In 2003, he was appointed as the working president of Shiv Sena. In 2006, he assumed the role of chief editor of the party's Marathi-language newspaper Saamana, resigning in 2019 before becoming Maharashtra's chief minister.