2 min readMumbaiJun 22, 2026 11:44 AM IST
Hours before six rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs are expected to formally switch allegiance to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Monday evening, party chief Uddhav Thackeray has called an emergency meeting of all party legislators. The move comes amid growing anxieties that the next phase of the Shinde camp’s ‘Operation Tiger’ will target the party’s remaining MLAs, MLCs, and municipal corporators.
Six MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT)—Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Ashtikar, and Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar—have broken away from the party leadership to support the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. This is the most significant setback for Uddhav Thackeray since the original split in the Shiv Sena in 2022.
By securing six of the party’s nine Lok Sabha MPs, the Shinde faction has comfortably crossed the crucial two-thirds threshold required under anti-defection laws, legally insulating the breakaway group and paving the way to claim the parliamentary party identity.
A directive issued by the party on June 15 had originally scheduled a routine meeting of all Shiv Sena (UBT) legislature party members from both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council at Shivalaya, opposite the Mantralaya in Mumbai, for 4 pm on Monday.
Shinde camp’s threat
Although the meeting was scheduled nearly a week before the rebellion emerged, it has gained significance following the split and increasing indications that the Shinde camp is now looking beyond MPs.
Leaders from the Shinde camp have made it clear that their efforts will not conclude with the parliamentary split. Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske, who is regarded as close to Shinde, recently stated, “Forget about MPs; you won’t even have BMC corporators left.”
Earlier, Shinde himself indicated that their campaign was far from over, saying, “This is just a trailer; the real movie is yet to come.”
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Monday’s meeting is viewed as Thackeray’s first significant effort to reassure party legislators, prevent further defections, and keep the remaining members united.
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