Uddhav undergoes angioplasty, is ‘absolutely fine’

Mumbai : Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray Friday underwent an angioplasty procedure and all three blockages in his arteries were successfully removed after nearly three hours, doctors said.

Besides wife Rashmi and son Aditya, Uddhav’s cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray was also present at the Lilavati hospital where the surgery was conducted. 

Uddhav, 51, had been admitted to hospital after chest pain last Monday. An angiography was performed, revealing at least three blockages.

Doctors attending on him said one of the blockages was difficult, while the other two were less complicated to remove, a doctor said.

“The procedure is successful and he (Uddhav) is absolutely fine. He is doing well and his heart is functioning normally. He will be discharged by Sunday,” said Samuel Mathews, one of the doctors operating on Uddhav.

“He is fully conscious. Immediately after the procedure, he spoke to Balasaheb (on phone) and then with his family members,” he added.

The implications of Uddhav’s health condition are a matter of concern for his family and the Shiv Sena as well as its allies Bharatiya Janata Party and Republican Party of India.

With Raj and Uddhav coming close after the health crisis, political circles here are discussing the possibility of new permutations and combinations emerging.

However, both Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray have dismissed any political fall-out of the two cousins coming together, insisting that it was purely out of family considerations.

The team of doctors conducting the angioplasty on Uddhav is the same that had done the procedure on his father Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray in July 2009.