Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Join Shinde Camp, Dealing Major Blow to Uddhav Thackeray

MUMBAI: In a major political setback for Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs have joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction in what has been described as “Operation Tiger.” The move significantly alters the balance of power within the party and strengthens Shinde’s position within Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti alliance.

The six MPs who crossed over are Omprakash Bhupalsinh alias Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv/Osmanabad), Nagesh Bapurao Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure (Shirdi), and Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East).

With their departure, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s strength in the Lok Sabha has fallen from nine MPs to three, leaving Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, and Rajabhau Waje as the remaining loyalists with Uddhav Thackeray. Meanwhile, the Shinde faction’s tally has risen from seven to thirteen MPs.

Several rebel MPs cited developmental concerns as a key reason for their decision. Nagesh Ashtikar and Omraje Nimbalkar argued that remaining in the Opposition for the past two years had deprived their constituencies of adequate development funds. They claimed that the Rs 5 crore MPLADS allocation was insufficient and that lack of support from the state government weakened their ability to serve voters effectively.

Reacting sharply to the rebellion, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut labelled the defectors as “traitors” and accused them of betraying both the party and Maharashtra. Addressing a press conference, Raut singled out Dharashiv MP Omraje Nimbalkar, describing him as a “notorious traitor.”

“Traitors have no ideology. Omraje is a notorious traitor. Splitting the Shiv Sena is akin to tearing Maharashtra apart,” Raut said. He further alleged that Uddhav Thackeray was aware of the individual who had allegedly paid Nimbalkar Rs 15 crore, though he did not provide evidence for the claim.

Raut also dismissed the rebels’ justification that joining the ruling camp would accelerate development in their constituencies. Referring specifically to Dharashiv, he argued that most visible development work had been carried out by previous governments and maintained that development was a collective effort rather than the achievement of individual politicians. (IANS)

Also Read: ‘Operation Tiger’ succeeds: Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs defy party whip; set to join Shinde faction