6 Uddhav Sena Rebel MPs join Shinde camp; Eknath Shinde says ‘Operation Tiger’ successful

In a major political development in Maharashtra, six Lok Sabha MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) joined the ruling Shiv Sena faction headed by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday, marking a significant split within the opposition party.

The MPs joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena at a formal event in Mumbai in the presence of senior party leaders, just days after they skipped a key Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi.

The lawmakers who switched sides include Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East), Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar (Hingoli), Omprakash Rajenimbalkar (Dharashiv), and Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi).

These MPs had defeated BJP and Shiv Sena candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where Shiv Sena (UBT) had secured nine seats in Maharashtra.

Welcoming the leaders, Eknath Shinde said they have joined the “original Shiv Sena” founded on the ideology of late Balasaheb Thackeray. He described the development as a major political victory and said it marked a continuation of his earlier move in 2022.

Shinde remarked that the move was part of what he called “Operation Tiger,” claiming it had now been successfully completed, further strengthening his faction of the party.

The development is expected to intensify political tensions between the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Uddhav Thackeray camp in Maharashtra.