Operation Tiger: Six Rebel UBT MPs Set to Join Shinde Camp as Aaditya Thackeray Alleges Betrayal

Mumbai: The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has been plunged into a severe political crisis, dubbed 'Operation Tiger', following the decision of six out of its nine Lok Sabha MPs to switch allegiance to the rival Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction.

The dissenting lawmakers, who skipped a vital parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi, have moved to form a distinct legislative bloc. Because their group comprises exactly two-thirds of the UBT faction's total strength in the Lok Sabha, they are legally positioned to bypass disqualification under India's strict anti-defection laws.

This coordinated defection has already resulted in immediate show-cause notices being issued to the rebels for open defiance of the official party whip.

The sudden political fracture is reportedly rooted in growing internal discontent over the rapid organisational elevation of Aaditya Thackeray, alongside deeper ideological discomfort regarding a potential full merger between the UBT group and the Congress party.

In a furious response issued on the party's 60th foundation day, a scathing Aaditya Thackeray labelled the defectors as shameless, ungrateful, and corrupt, asserting that they had sold themselves out despite winning their 2024 seats entirely on the back of party loyalists.

Meanwhile, senior leader Sanjay Raut escalated the confrontation by alleging that the lawmakers were offered cash inducements of up to ₹25 crore to jump ship, pointing to the state government's immediate deployment of 'Y-plus' security for the rebels as clear evidence of a calculated political conspiracy.

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