‘Operation Tiger’ succeeds: Six Shiv Sena(UBT) MPs defy party whip, move to join Shinde faction

New Delhi: In a major political upheaval rocking Maharashtra politics, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has suffered a crippling blow as six of its nine Lok Sabha Members rebelled to bypass a crucial party whip on Thursday.

The high-stakes defection marks the definitive success of the Eknath Shinde faction’s meticulously executed plan, code-named “Operation Tiger”. The internal fracture came to light during a parliamentary party meeting convened by Shiv Sena(UBT) at its office in Parliament House at 11:00 a.m.

Despite a strict whip issued a day prior compelling mandatory attendance, only three Lok Sabha members and one Rajya Sabha member showed up. Those who attended the meeting included Sanjay Raut (Rajya Sabha), Anil Desai, Arvind Sawant, and Rajabhau Waje, while Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay (Bandu) Jadhav, Omraje Nimbalkar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, and Nagesh Patil Ashtikar staged a complete boycott of the meeting.

According to sources, the rebel faction has already filed an application before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to be recognised as a separate bloc, paving a clear legal path for their formal merger with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Sources said the dissenting lawmakers passed an internal resolution detailing ideological differences as the driving force behind their exit. It says the leadership has drifted significantly from the original Hindutva ideology established by party founder Balasaheb Thackeray. The resolution explicitly notes growing anxiety within the rank and file regarding a potential full-scale merger of Shiv Sena(UBT) into the Congress party, highlighting that the regional party was never envisioned to lose its identity to a national outfit.

The MPs further referenced recent statements by senior leader Sanjay Raut suggesting that regional parties like the Trinamool Congress should merge with Congress, amplifying fears that a similar fate awaited the Thackeray group.

Anticipating public outrage and potential law-and-order issues across Maharashtra, security has been beefed up substantially outside the residences of the defecting MPs. Local police forces have set up heavy bandobast (security deployments) outside several properties, including Mumbai North East MP Sanjay Dina Patil’s residence, to prevent any untoward incidents. Sources indicate that Sanjay Jadhav is slated to take up the leadership mantle of this newly formed parliamentary breakaway group.

Following an open threat issued by Shiv Sena(UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, all the rebel MPs will receive Y-plus security. The Maharashtra Home Department, which is keeping a close watch amid the ongoing political turmoil in the party, has ordered the State Intelligence Department to bolster their security.

As the political drama shifts from party offices to parliamentary corridors, both camps are readying their legal machinery. The Shiv Sena(UBT) leadership has initiated the process of issuing immediate “show-cause” notices to the six absent MPs, giving them a brief window of a few hours to respond. Failure to provide a valid rationale will prompt the UBT group to officially petition Speaker Om Birla for their disqualification under the anti-defection law.

Insiders from the Shinde faction claimed that because the six MPs represent a strict two-thirds majority of the party’s total Lok Sabha strength (6 out of 9), the anti-defection whip does not legally bind them once their separate group status is accepted.

Sources within the Shinde camp revealed that they are keeping their cards close to their chests and will not release any evidence or formal announcements for the next 48 hours to carefully counter the legal strategies of the Thackeray camp.

With Shiv Sena’s Foundation Day approaching on June 19, the rebel group is highly anticipated to formally integrate into Eknath Shinde’s faction, cementing a dramatic shift in the numbers game within the Lok Sabha.

IANS