Six Sena UBT MPs Defect to Shinde Camp
A significant political shift has occurred within Maharashtra politics as six Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction have officially moved to merge with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. This dramatic defection, orchestrated through a series of clandestine meetings and private jet journeys to Delhi, marks the second major split for the Shiv Sena (UBT) in recent years.
The operation, spanning approximately 48 hours, began shortly after midnight on June 16 and was executed largely away from public scrutiny. Only three of Sena UBT's nine Lok Sabha MPs attended a crucial party meeting despite a whip, signaling the scale of the impending split.
The Covert Operation: From Private Jets to Noida Hotel
Sources indicate that the defection plot involved carefully coordinated movements. Nagesh Ashtikar was reportedly the first MP to arrive in Delhi via private jet from Nanded around 1:30 AM on June 16. Sanjay Deshmukh and Sanjay Jadhav followed hours later on another private aircraft from Nanded. Bhausaheb Wakchaure arrived from Hyderabad, while Sanjay Dina Patil and Maharashtra minister Pratap Sarnaik reached Delhi later that night.
Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, also traveled to Delhi via Jaipur, arriving around 3 AM. His son, Lok Sabha MP Shrikant Shinde, arrived subsequently, followed by Omraje Nimbalkar from Pune. The group of rebel MPs was then accommodated at a hotel in Noida.
Meeting the Speaker and Formalizing the Split
The next critical phase unfolded on June 17. Shrikant Shinde and Omraje Nimbalkar reportedly met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla around 7 AM. Later that morning, the remaining five MPs also met the Speaker, submitting a formal letter. This letter sought official recognition of their merger with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and requested a change in their seating arrangements within the Lok Sabha.
In their communication, the MPs allegedly cited a deviation from Shiv Sena's core ideology by the Uddhav Thackeray leadership, claiming plans to merge Sena UBT with the Congress. With six of the nine MPs backing the move, the group now exceeds the two-thirds threshold required to seek protection from disqualification under India's anti-defection law.
Allegations of 'Operation Tiger' and Previous Splits
Following their meeting with the Speaker, the MPs dispersed separately, traveling to various locations including Chennai, Tirupati, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mumbai, and Pune. They are expected to meet with Eknath Shinde on June 20, a day after Shiv Sena's foundation day, to brief him and publicly release their letter explaining the decision.
Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut has vociferously condemned the defections, alleging an "Operation Tiger" involving chartered flights and substantial monetary inducements. Raut claimed rebel MPs received a ₹15 crore advance, with a total of ₹50 crore promised for their defection. These allegations remain unverified.
This latest parliamentary challenge to Uddhav Thackeray's leadership echoes the dramatic 2022 revolt led by Eknath Shinde, which saw 40 of Shiv Sena's 55 MLAs in Maharashtra switch allegiance, leading to a change in state government.