Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs defect to Eknath Shinde’s faction

Six Lok Sabha members of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) formally joined the Eknath Shinde‑led Shiv Sena on June 22‑23, 2026, bringing Shinde’s parliamentary strength in Maharashtra to 13 MPs and leaving the Uddhav camp with only three. The defections were presented by Shinde as the successful second phase of “Operation Tiger,” a concerted effort to absorb the remaining UBT members. Shinde praised the move, saying, “Today there are six tigers present here,” and hinted that further targets could include the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and state MLAs.

The rebel MPs – Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Jadhav, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh and Bhausaheb Wakchaure – cited development neglect in their constituencies as a key reason for switching. The Uddhav faction, through its mouthpiece Saamana, condemned the defections as “money politics,” alleging a ₹500 crore inducement and accusing the ruling Mahayuti alliance of celebrating betrayal. senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid called for opposition unity, warning that continued fragmentation threatens democracy. The split follows earlier internal turmoil in the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, underscoring a broader pattern of opposition fragmentation in Indian politics.