Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Defect to Eknath Shinde Faction, Uddhav Thackeray Faces Uncertainty

Maharashtra's political landscape is in flux as six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs defected to the Eknath Shinde faction, intensifying uncertainty for Uddhav Thackeray. Amidst this, Thackeray convened a party meeting to strategize for upcoming political developments and legislative matters. Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray sharply criticized the BJP government's handling of national issues like infiltration and inflation, urging a focus on governance over political maneuvers.

In a significant political development in Maharashtra, six rebel MPs from Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena faction joined the ruling Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, marking another setback for the Uddhav Thackeray. The six Shiv Sena (UBT) rebel MPs who joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena are Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar, Sanjay Haribhai Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, and Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh.

With the latest defections, the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s strength in the Lok Sabha has been reduced to just three MPs. The breakaway group now has the required two-thirds majority to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law and seek recognition as a separate faction.

The rift within the Shiv Sena (UBT) became apparent when six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs skipped a key parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi. The rebellion soon escalated as the six MPs submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, seeking recognition as a separate group. With the support of two-thirds of the party's MPs, the breakaway faction is eligible to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.

Explaining their decision, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar and Omprakash Rajenimbalkar said that remaining in the Opposition for the past two years had hampered development work in their constituencies. They argued that the ₹5 crore MPLADS allocation was insufficient and that the lack of support from the state government had weakened their ability to carry out grassroots development.

In a Facebook Live address, Ashtikar said he harboured no personal grudge against Uddhav Thackeray. However, he accused senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders, including Sanjay Raut, of using "harsh and abusive language" and showing a lack of trust after the rebel MPs skipped the Delhi meeting.

Uddhav Thackeray holds key meeting

Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday held a meeting with party leaders in Mumbai to discuss upcoming political developments, organisational matters and the legislature's strategy amid growing political churn within the party.

The meeting comes at a time when the Shiv Sena (UBT) is witnessing heightened internal uncertainty over reports of possible defections of several MPs to the Eknath Shinde-led faction and intensified political sparring with the BJP.

Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led central government, questioning its handling of key national issues, including infiltration, inflation, water scarcity, internal security and farmers' welfare.

Reacting to reports on infiltrators entering the country, Aaditya Thackeray said the government had failed on the issue despite being in power for over a decade. "Whose government has it been for 12 years? If the government cannot stop these infiltrators in 12 years, then this is the failure of the BJP," he said.

Responding to the Chief Minister's remarks on "Operation Tiger," he said the government should prioritise governance over political operations. "I think you should talk about all these things, but you should also pay attention to the governance that you want to run, which is running very poorly," he added, questioning the state of foreign policy, internal security, water availability and inflation.

He further alleged that the ruling party was focusing on political exercises instead of addressing public issues. "Keep doing all these 'operation-foperation' things, but if you don't know how to run the government, then resign," he said.

On "Operation Tiger 2", Thackeray said the government must focus on the condition of the country and its people, adding that issues concerning farmers, women, health and security were being ignored.