Ending speculation, six rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs on Monday formally joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena—a move that has the capacity to further alter the political landscape of Maharashtra and future of Uddhav Thackeray, once considered an all-in-all of the party founded by his father, late Balasaheb Thackeray
Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, Omprakash Bhupalsingh Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh and Nagesh Bapurao Patil Ashtikar joined the Shiv Sena in the presence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who described it a “historic moment”.
A beaming Shinde said the six grassroots leaders, “dhurandhars” as he called them, had joined the “original” Shiv Sena for the benefit of their constituencies, people and party workers, not for personal gain.
“Today, we welcome these six ‘kattar Shivsainik MPs’ to the original Shiv Sena of Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe,” he declared.
“The Shiv Sena is now the second-largest party in Maharashtra. Not one, but six tigers are present here with me today. We have hit a six this time,” he added.
Referring to the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena, Shinde said the rebellion was launched to protect Balasaheb’s legacy and the party’s Hindutva ideology and the bow-and-arrow symbol. “The decision taken in 2022 was supported by the people. The second phase is also to preserve the ideology of the Shiv Sena and Balasaheb. That is why these six MPs have decided to come to the original Shiv Sena of Balasaheb,” he said, calling “Operation Tiger” as a “foolproof success”.
“We always conduct foolproof exercises. They are all our ‘dhurandhars’ from the grassroots. Those who say they have rebelled for personal gain or self-interest, instead of abusing them, need to introspect why they are leaving. They are leaving for the people of their constituencies,” he said.
The six MPs, he said, only wanted to work for their people and party workers.
Shinde also assured the newly-inducted MPs that the individual concerns and developmental needs of their constituencies would be addressed. “Ek baar jo maine commitment kar di to main apne aap ki bhi nahi sunta,” he said, repeating the famous dialogue from a Salman Khan film.
Meanwhile, sources said some Shiv Sena (UBT) MLAs, “unhappy with the way Uddhav Thackeray was functioning under the influence of Sanjay Raut,” were also considering leaving the party. Another split could be on the cards, they added.
After the 2022 split, this comes as another major blow to Uddhav Thackeray. The mass exit will not only reduce his strength in Parliament to just three MPs but also weakens his claim over Balasaheb’s political legacy. Rebels insist they are the “real” Shiv Sena.
The development is also expected to reshape the dynamics within the BJP-led ruling Mahayuti and strengthen Shinde’s position in Maharashtra politics. With the addition of the six MPs, Shinde’s faction will have 13 Lok Sabha members, making it the largest Lok Sabha group from Maharashtra within the Mahayuti alliance. The successful execution of “Operation Tiger” further weakened the late Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction, pushing it more to the periphery of the Mahayuti alliance.