Mumbai: Six MPs from Uddhav Thackeray Shiv Sena (UBT) are all set to switch to Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in what could be a significant political development in Maharashtra. Dubbed ‘Operation Tiger’, the action has created a huge ruckus in the Thackeray faction, which is facing the ire of its own supporters after the poor performance of the Maharashtra Assembly polls 2024.
Key Developments
Defection in the making: Reports say 6 of the 9 MPs of the Uddhav faction are in talks with the Shinde camp. This defection is done as a strategy to evade the law against defection, which states that a separate group can be formed only by more than two-thirds of the legislators of a particular party.
Shinde Camp’s Strategy
For weeks, behind-the-scenes meetings have been held to try to convince any remaining MPs to sign on before Parliament resumes. The BJP, in coalition with Shindo’s Shiv Sena in the state and at the Centre, has allegedly supported the operation.
Motivation for Defection
It is claimed that many MPs fear political oblivion and financial difficulties. By joining the Shinde camp, which is in power in Maharashtra and at the Centre with the BJP, they can dream of more possibilities for development projects and resources.
These defections follow the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance registering a landslide win in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, including Shinde’s Shiv Sena. The Uddhav-led faction took a massive drubbing, managing to win only 20 seats, further polarizing its stake in the game of state politics.
This could spell more trouble for Uddhav Thackeray’s faction, which has already lost the party name and symbol to Shinde after a legal tussle. The defections also reflect dissatisfaction within the opposition ranks, which have been trying unsuccessfully to counter the BJP-Shinde dominance in Maharashtra politics.
Pending formal announcements, “Operation Tiger” marks yet another significant change in Maharashtra’s politics, widening the latitude of power for Shinde’s faction in Shiv Sena and bringing a fresh blow to Uddhav Thackeray.