Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has convened a meeting of the party’s Lok Sabha MPs on Sunday amid growing speculation that several lawmakers could switch allegiance to the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The meeting will be held at Matoshri, Thackeray’s residence in Mumbai’s Bandra East, at noon.
The development comes against the backdrop of reports that Shinde has launched what political circles are calling ‘Operation Tiger’—an alleged effort to lure MPs from the Thackeray camp and bolster the Shiv Sena’s strength in the Lok Sabha.
According to media reports, the move is aimed at increasing the Shinde-led Sena’s parliamentary tally and strengthening the BJP-led NDA’s position to get some of the key bills passed in Parliament.
Shiv Sena (UBT) currently has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha. Under the anti-defection law, at least seven MPs would need to break away together to avoid disqualification. Reports suggest that as many as six Sena (UBT) MPs are already in touch with the Shinde camp.
Union Minister and Shiv Sena leader Pratap Jadhav recently claimed that all Sena (UBT) MPs were in contact with Shinde. Several media reports have also pointed to a highly confidential meeting held in Delhi on June 7, allegedly attended by seven MPs from the Thackeray faction.
Shinde is said to have been present at the meeting. According to reports, his son and Lok Sabha MP Shrikant Shinde has spent the past six months reaching out to legislators and MPs from the Uddhav camp and persuading them to cross over.
The prospective defectors have reportedly been promised key positions, including possible berths in the Union cabinet.
However, reports indicate that some MPs have sought more time before making a final decision, preferring to gauge public sentiment in their constituencies before taking the plunge.
The timing of the alleged operation is significant, coming just ahead of Parliament’s monsoon session. The BJP-led government has already received a boost following the revolt within the Trinamool Congress, where a group of 20 rebel MPs reportedly extended support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The Centre is expected to push several crucial pieces of legislation during the upcoming session, including bills related to delimitation and women's reservation, which could require broad political support across both Houses of Parliament.
Shinde’s Shiv Sena currently has seven Lok Sabha MPs and remains the BJP’s third-largest ally at the Centre. Dismissing speculation about ‘Operation Tiger’, the deputy chief minister recently said that elections were over and there was no need for any “number game”.
Despite the denials, reports of growing discontent within Shiv Sena (UBT) have fuelled fresh questions over whether the party is staring at another split nearly four years after the rebellion that brought down the Thackeray-led Maharashtra government.
