News of the possible move to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has sparked anger in the Thackeray faction, which would be left with only 3 of its 9 MPs in the Lok Sabha, if all 6 were to cross over.

News of the possible move to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has sparked anger in the Thackeray faction, which would be left with only 3 of its 9 MPs in the Lok Sabha, if all 6 were to cross over.

News of the possible move to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has sparked anger in the Thackeray faction, which would be left with only 3 of its 9 MPs in the Lok Sabha, if all 6 were to cross over.

Despite rebel MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar confirming his exit from the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Sunday, the political future of the remaining five MPs remains uncertain.

The Hingoli MP noted in a video statement that he had stayed with the UBT Sena till June 18, after which he felt that there was "no point in staying any longer" because "the limits of what was being said were crossed and so much distrust was expressed".

This was quickly perceived as an apparent reference to Sanjay Raut's expletive-filled outburst about the rebel MPs in a June 18 press conference.

Ashtikar also cited a lack of funds as another reason to jump "from Shiv Sena to Shiv Sena", insisting that his ideology was unchanged.

"The work of party workers is not being done as we are not on the side of power. People elected us with a lot of expectation, and getting their work done is my job. But I was not getting any development funds," he noted, adding that the ₹5 crore MPLAD fund was very limited.

News of the possible move to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, dubbed 'Operation Tiger', has sparked anger in the Thackeray faction, which would be left with only three of its nine MPs in the Lok Sabha, should all six jump ship.

The six MPs had also violated the party whip with their absence from a recent meeting of the Shiv Sena (UBT), which led to protests conducted in various parts of the state by party workers.

The catch

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, however, claimed that at least two of the rebel MPs were still in touch with the Thackeray Sena.

"They are scared because of the anger in their constituency," he said, referring to his earlier threat to crush the rebel MPs, dubbed 'Operation Tudwa'.

However, he said that the party was open to further talks if the MPs were willing to accept their mistake, as per a PTI report.

This also comes after reports of the MPs being managed by the Shinde camp, with their travel to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla—and their accommodation afterwards in Jaipur—being decided carefully.

The MPs were also given Y-plus security, in light of the threats against them owing to Operation Tiger.

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