Mumbai: The parliamentary wing of the Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena UBT is navigating a severe political crisis following widespread reports of an imminent split among its lawmakers. In a bid to demonstrate internal cohesion and contain potential damage, the party high command has issued a strict legislative whip compelling all its Lok Sabha members to attend an emergency meeting at the parliamentary party office in New Delhi on Thursday.
The ongoing internal churn, referred to as Operation Tiger by local political observers, gained massive traction after six out of the nine elected Lok Sabha MPs from the Thackeray camp skipped a prior meeting in Mumbai. Reports indicate that these six dissident parliamentarians have informally approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to submit a formal request seeking recognition as a distinct bloc. The breakaway group intends to merge with the rival faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on June 19, coinciding with the party foundation day.
In response to this parallel movement, senior Thackeray loyalists including Sanjay Raut, Arvind Sawant, and Anil Desai rushed to the national capital to submit a caveat letter to the Speaker. The loyalist faction requested that no recognition or special privilege be extended to any breakaway group without giving the parent organization a fair hearing.
Sanjay Raut expressed his frustration, stating: “Our workers have toiled hard to ensure the victory of these representatives. If anyone wishes to switch sides, they should resign openly rather than betraying the mandate. There is no meaning to democratic elections if public representatives are poached through financial incentives.”
The unfolding crisis carries significant legal and structural implications for the opposition coalition in the lower house. Chief Whip Anil Desai argued that under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, two separate conditions must be met concurrently for a valid merger. The law dictates that a breakaway group must constitute at least two thirds of the legislature party and the original political party itself must merge.
If the Speaker recognizes the breakaway group of six MPs, the Thackeray camp strength will plummet to just three members, which would directly diminish the presence of the opposition INDIA bloc in Parliament while giving a major boost to the ruling National Democratic Alliance numbers. As both factions prepare for a lengthy legal and political battle, the outcome of the Speaker ruling will determine the real balance of power in Maharashtra fractured regional landscape.