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Four years after Eknath Shinde‘s rebellion split the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, fresh speculation of another breakaway is swirling in Maharashtra.Reports suggest that at least six of the nine Lok Sabha MPs belonging to Shiv Sena (UBT) are in touch with Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde as part of what is being described as “Operation Tiger”.According to reports, Shinde recently met members of the potential breakaway group in New Delhi before leaving for Jaipur, fuelling speculation of a fresh split within Shiv Sena (UBT).News agency ANI reported that the number of rebel MPs could rise to seven — enough to cross the two-thirds threshold required to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.If successful, the move would further strengthen Shinde’s claim over the legacy of the Bal Thackeray-founded Shiv Sena while dealing another setback to Uddhav Thackeray‘s faction. The developments have inevitably drawn comparisons with the 2022 rebellion, when Shinde, along with several MLAs, broke away from Uddhav Thackeray and split the party.Amid growing speculation over possible defections, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s leader in the Lok Sabha, Arvind Sawant, has urged Speaker Om Birla to “not entertain any claim by defecting MPs seeking recognition as a separate group or merger with another political party”.
Raut’s ‘Operation Wolf’ and attack on rebels
Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Uddhav Thackeray loyalist Sanjay Raut, who had earlier dismissed reports of any rebellion, alleged that Maharashtra MPs were being offered Rs 15 crore each.“I have information that Rs 15 crore each was delivered to the MPs, after which they boarded chartered flights from three places, including Nanded and Pune. We have issued a whip for the Parliamentary Party meeting tomorrow. Arvind ji (Arvind Sawant) has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker,” Raut said while addressing a press conference.“If anyone wants to go, they can resign and leave. If such reports emerge about our MPs, then they should refute them. This time, the people of Maharashtra will not remain silent,” he added.Also read | Operation tiger not easy, Sanjay Raut takes presser with 3 Lok Sabha MPs in DelhiResponding to the reported move, Raut dubbed it “Operation Wolf”.Notably, only three of Shiv Sena (UBT)’s nine Lok Sabha MPs — Anil Desai, Rajabhau Waje and Arvind Sawant — attended Raut’s press conference.A possible merger of the rebels with the Shinde camp would strengthen the NDA led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi while significantly reducing Shiv Sena (UBT)’s strength in Parliament.‘Rs 50 crore per MP’ claim and chartered plane jibeTaking a swipe at the alleged attempts to engineer defections, Raut claimed that the “Minimum Support Price” of an MP had been fixed at Rs 50 crore and that Rs 15 crore was “merely an advance amount”.Responding to an X post by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Raut wrote: “Apna Sapna Money Money! No, no — Mahua ji, the Minimum Support Price is fixed at Rs 50 crore per MP (pachaas khoke). Rs 15 crore is just the advance. Frankly, these people aren’t even worth Rs 50,000. Their price has only gone up because of the Shiv Sena and TMC brand label.”Mocking the alleged rebellion, Raut wrote on X: “A chartered plane lands at Nanded Airport. Under the guise of Operation Tiger, it picks up two MPs and takes off. They didn’t have the means to even travel by rickshaw. Thanks to Thackeray’s name, their worth has risen to the level of flying in private jets.”
‘Shiv Sena UBT will be finished’
Meanwhile, the Shinde camp has made strong claims about the future of Shiv Sena (UBT).Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam said: “The party called Ubatha is slowly dying. Their MLA and MP no longer have faith in Ubatha’s leadership. By 2029, the party will be finished. People are leaving Ubatha every day. As far as their MPs are concerned, we have nothing to do with it. This is an internal matter of their party. This party will slowly die, and people will leave.”The speculation has also drawn a sharp response from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, who targeted the BJP over recent defections from opposition parties joining the NDA.“The BJP should not remain under the illusion that by assembling a gang of cobras, they will feed the snakes milk and they will only bite the opposition. Your time will also come because it is the nature of a snake to bite; if today is our turn, tomorrow could be yours too,” she wrote on X.
Not the first INDIA bloc rebellion
The speculation around Shiv Sena (UBT) comes amid a series of defections and internal rebellions that have hit opposition parties in recent months.Recently, following a major electoral setback in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress faced an internal rebellion, with a large section of MLAs expressing dissatisfaction with the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and the growing influence of Abhishek Banerjee.The dissenting camp eventually rallied behind expelled TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee, backing him for the post of leader of opposition and distancing itself from Mamata Banerjee.The rebellion soon spilled over to Delhi, where a group of 20 MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar broke away from the TMC, formed a separate bloc in the Lok Sabha and extended support to the NDA.Weeks earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party witnessed a similar development in the Rajya Sabha. Raghav Chadha, once considered one of Arvind Kejriwal’s closest aides, emerged as a critic of the party leadership following AAP’s defeat in the Delhi assembly elections and led a rebellion against the top brass.Chadha, along with six other Rajya Sabha MPs, eventually merged his faction with the BJP, citing differences with the AAP leadership and strengthening the NDA’s position in the Upper House.
Could it strengthen the NDA’s numbers?
With the NDA continuing to attract opposition dissidents, the Narendra Modi-led alliance appears better placed to navigate key legislative battles, particularly after facing hurdles over issues such as the Delimitation Bills in recent months.If a section of Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Lok Sabha MPs were to join the Shinde camp, it would further consolidate the NDA’s position in Parliament while dealing another setback to Uddhav Thackeray’s faction.
