Less than a week after he was diagnosed with three blockages in his coronary arteries, Shiv Sena’s executive president Uddhav Thackeray underwent an angioplasty at the Lilavati Hospital here on Friday.

Four days after they conducted an angiography on him, a team of cardiologists, led by Dr Samuel Mathew, carried out an angioplasty on Uddhav and removed three major blockages in his arteries. The medical procedure lasted for nearly two hours.    

“The procedure was successful. He is doing well. His heart is functioning normally. We will be discharging him on Sunday,” Dr Mathew told media persons.

Replying to a question, Dr Mathew said: "He is fully conscious. Immediately after the procedure, he spoke to Balasaheb (on phone)”.

Apart from Uddhav’s wife Rashmi and son Aditya, his estranged cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, wife Sharmila and mother Kunda were also present at the hospital when the Sena leader underwent angioplasty.

Raj’s presence at the hospital should be seen in the light of the fact that despite his strained relations with his cousin for six and a half years, he had suspended his visit to Aligbau midway and rushed to Lilavati Hospital on the afternoon of July 16, on hearing that Uddhav was undergoing angiography that afternoon.

Later that evening, Raj had sprung another surprise by driving Uddhav back to his Bandra residence, after the latter was discharged from the hospital. Raj’s touching gesture had unleashed speculation about the possibility of reconciliation between the two estranged Thackeray cousins.

The angiography had revealed that Uddhav had three major blockages in his coronary arteries.  Though the doctors had advised Uddhav to undergo by-pass surgery, the Sena leader opted for angioplasty as an alternative to remove the artery blockages.     

Apart from making anxious enquiries about his cousin’s health since then, Raj visited “Matoshri” on Thursday night and met Uddhav, ahead of his angioplasty.