Shiv Sena (UBT) faces defection crisis as MPs eye shift to Eknath Shinde faction

Six of the nine Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Lok Sabha MPs are reported to be preparing to leave the party and join the Eknath Shinde‑led Shiv Sena. Sources say the MPs will meet in Delhi at the residence of Shrikant Shinde and may also approach Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for a separate group’s recognition. Party leaders Sanjay Raut, Arvind Sawant and Anil Desai met the speaker on June 17, urging him to prevent any unlawful defection and cited anti‑defection law provisions.

Raut alleged that each MP was offered an advance of ₹15 crore to switch sides, claiming the money was delivered before the MPs boarded chartered flights. The allegation was echoed in several statements, while other MPs – Sanjay Dina Patil, Rajabhau Waje and others – publicly denied any rebel list or intent to defect. The party’s senior leadership, including Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aditya Thackeray, warned that any such moves would betray voters and promised strict action.

The controversy, dubbed “Operation Tiger,” has intensified intra‑party tensions ahead of Shiv Sena’s founding‑day on June 19 and has drawn criticism from opposition parties, which accuse the ruling BJP of engineering defections to secure parliamentary numbers.