Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Monday formally welcomed six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs into his party, declaring “Operation Tiger” a success as the defectors made their first joint public appearance.
“The six tigers are here… Operation Tiger is now complete and successful,” Shinde declared at a media briefing in Mumbai, flanked by the six MPs. “After 40 MLAs, we have now hit a sixer with six MPs,” he added, referring to his 2022 rebellion in the undivided Shiv Sena when he split the party, took away a majority of its legislators and later formed a government with the BJP.
Six of the nine Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs were believed to have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla last week seeking a merger with the Shinde-led Sena, but there was no official confirmation.
Of the six MPs, Hingoli’s Nagesh Patil Ashtikar and Dharashiv’s Omraje Nimbalkar had on Sunday announced that they were joining the Shinde-led Sena. The other defectors are Parbhani MP Sanjay Jadhav, Mumbai North-East MP Sanjay Dina Patil, Yavatmal-Washim MP Sanjay Deshmukh and Shirdi MP Bhausaheb Wakchaure. The exodus leaves the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena with just three Lok Sabha members, while giving the rebels the two-thirds strength required to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
“The MPs have joined the real Shiv Sena family that follows Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology of Hindutva,” Shinde said, underscoring that his 2022 rebellion was to protect Balasaheb’s ideology.
“Earlier, we rebelled to save the bow and arrow and the Shiv Sena party. This is the second stage of Shiv Sena expansion,” he said, claiming that the switch has been done “legally, constitutionally”.
For Shinde, the defections provide a crucial political boost at a time his influence within both the BJP-led NDA and Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti coalition had appeared to be waning.
“The Shiv Sena is now the second-largest party in Maharashtra,” Shinde declared, underscoring his renewed importance. The claim carries political weight. With the addition of the six MPs, the Shinde-led Sena’s strength in the Lok Sabha rises to 13, putting it on a par with the JDU, one of the BJP’s most important allies.
Leaders in the Shinde camp argued that the parliamentary crossover could trigger a fresh round of defections from the Sena (UBT) ranks in the Assembly.
Uddhav on Monday convened a meeting of party legislators to prevent any further erosion of his legislative ranks. Party mouthpiece Saamana launched an attack on home minister Amit Shah, accusing him of overstepping his constitutional role by describing the Shinde-led faction as the “real Shiv Sena” when the dispute over the party’s identity and election symbol was sub judice.