Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 22: Dealing a lethal blow to the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, six of its MPs on Monday switched over to the rival Sena faction led by the Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde leaving the Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s son Uddhav Thackeray shell-shocked now having only three MPs in his fold.
Six MPs from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) who shifted to the Shinde camp included Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh and Nagesh Bapurao Patil Ashtikar. They made the announcement official via a press conference in Mumbai.
The development comes amid the much-discussed “Operation Tiger” and follows meetings between the rebel MPs and Shinde in Mumbai. The switch is expected to further strengthen the Shinde-led faction’s position within Maharashtra politics and Parliament. The move has resulted in Sena’s MPs increased from 7 to 13.
Welcoming six rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs into his fold, Mr Shinde said their induction marked the “second phase” of the political realignment that began with his 2022 revolt against Uddhav Thackeray. Shinde said all formalities had been completed and the MPs had officially joined the Shiv Sena, which he described as the true inheritor of Bal Thackeray’s ideology.
Calling the move a “sixer” for his camp, Shinde maintained that his faction’s struggle was aimed at safeguarding Balasaheb’s vision and values. Dismissing allegations surrounding the defections, he said the six MPs were seasoned grassroots workers who had joined the party out of conviction.
Shinde, in the presser, said the six MPs who joined his faction had done so voluntarily and without any pressure. He said all six would contest the 2029 Lok Sabha elections on Shiv Sena ticket and would return to Parliament with victories from their respective constituencies.
These 6 rebel MPs had skipped the Sena (UBT) parliamentary party meeting in Delhi on June 17, fuelling speculation that they were on their way to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar and Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar were the only two MPs who had earlier confirmed that they were shifting to Shinde group.
Transport Minister and Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik has said the six MPs were impressed by work of Sena chief leader Eknath Shinde and MP Shrikant Shinde and were joining Sena today. They had given a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and wanted to follow ideology of Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.
Eknath Shinde was seen at the Maharashtra Assembly where he reportedly stated that “Operation Tiger” has been successful and that a press conference will be held at Balasaheb Bhavan around 4 PM regarding the developments.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has strongly criticised these six MPs. He accused them of betraying the trust of voters and damaging their own political credibility. Thackeray pointed out that these MPs were elected on the strength of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the INDIA bloc, with active campaigning and backing from Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP leaders.
Meanwhile, the ruling Mahayuti alliance led by the BJP registered a convincing victory in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections from Local Authorities Constituencies, with results for 11 of the 17 seats announced on Monday. Polling for these seats took place on June 18 and witnessed an exceptionally high voter turnout of 99.02 per cent on average, reflecting strong participation by the electorate.
According to the results declared, the Mahayuti secured 10 of the 11 seats. The BJP emerged as the biggest winner, claiming 10 seats, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won one seat. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) failed to secure a single victory. One seat was won by an independent candidate.
The Mahayuti had already gained an advantage before voting began, as six of its candidates were elected unopposed in the run-up to the elections.
Voting was conducted in 11 constituencies, including Nanded, Nagpur, Bhandara-Gondia, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Jalna, Parbhani-Hingoli, Jalgaon, Sangli-Satara, Nashik, Solapur, Dharashiv-Latur-Beed and Amravati.
The BJP rebel Gokul Gite emerged victorious in the Maharashtra Legislative Council election from Nashik, defeating the Shiv Sena’s candidate Narendra Darade. Gite secured 357 votes, while Darade managed 248 votes, election officials said.
