At the end of a week of political drama and allegations, six rebel Shiv Sena MPs led by Uddhav Thackeray or the Shiv Sena (UBT) formally joined the breakaway faction of the party on Monday in the presence of party supremo and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The Shinde-led Shiv Sena said all formalities required for the splinter group’s merger with the party have been completed.
An earlier HT report quoted Shinde as saying at a press conference held at the YB Chavan Center in south Mumbai: “The required operation has been completed. All six MPs have joined the Shiv Sena. Operation Tiger has been a success.”
The six MPs – Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchor, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patel Ashtekar, Umraji Nimbalkar and Sanjay Dina Patel – were present on stage when Shinde made the announcement, paving the way for a major boost to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s numbers in the Lok Sabha.
NDA numbers in Lok Sabha to get boost
The direct impact is not on the NDA’s official numbers yet, because the six MPs joined the Shiv Sena but the Speaker of the Lok Sabha did not formally recognize the splinter group and approved its request to merge with the Shinde-led Sena.
If the Speaker accepts the move, the NDA will get six Lok Sabha MPs, taking its strength in the House from 294 to 300.
The NDA would still fall short of the two-thirds majority mark required for certain constitutional purposes (about 364 out of 543 members of the House, depending on vacant seats).
For the Shiv Sena specifically, the number of MPs in the Maharashtra Lok Sabha rose from seven to 13 once the Sena’s six MPs (UBT) were formally absorbed.
In the Rajya Sabha, there is no immediate change, because these are the Lok Sabha MPs. The political importance is mainly related to numbers, recognition, and the fight against dissent and integration.
Was the defection of Sena-UBT MPs approved?
Asked whether Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had formally recognized the splinter group and approved its request to merge with the Shinde-led Sena, Shinde said: “We have completed the legal, parliamentary and constitutional requirements.” The office of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha has not made any announcement yet.
Earlier on Monday, four of the six MPs – Ashtekar, Wakchwar, Jadhav and Deshmukh – were flown to Mumbai from Delhi on a special plane. Patel and Nimbalkar, who were already in Mumbai, traveled to Shinde’s official residence on Malabar Hill.
After meeting all the six MPs, Shinde traveled with them to YB Chavan Centre, where he announced their joining the Sena. As the announcement was made, the representatives clasped and raised their hands in a show of unity.
“The six MLAs believe in the principles of Balasaheb Thackeray and I welcome these dedicated Senaniks. I rebelled in June 2022, when 40 MLAs joined me. Now we have reached six. This is the second phase,” the Sena chief said. None of the representatives addressed the media.
A two-thirds majority is important because constitutional amendments require the approval of a special majority in Parliament. Earlier this year, the government introduced draft laws related to delimitation and implementation of reservation for women. But it failed to secure the required support. The proposed legislation requires a stronger parliamentary majority than the one the National Democratic Rally Party currently enjoys.
Boundary demarcation refers to the redrawing of parliamentary electoral districts on the basis of population changes. Many opposition parties, especially from south India, have raised concerns over the new demarcation exercise. They argue that demarcation could change the balance of representation in the Lok Sabha.
How did signs of division appear?
The development comes a week after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) was surprised when signs emerged that ‘Operation Tiger’ could lead to the replacement of six of its MPs. Operation Tiger is the name given to the Shinde Sena’s efforts to bring elected representatives from the Sena camp (UBT) into its fold, a strategy adopted after the 2024 Assembly elections.
The first indications of a possible split emerged when Thackeray called a meeting of the party’s nine Lok Sabha MPs on 14 June. Four of them attended the meeting in Mumbai, four joined virtually, while one MP skipped it completely.
According to the rebel camp, the MPs submitted a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker on June 17, stating their intention to form a separate group and merge with the Shinde-led Sena.
The Upper House (UBT) responded by issuing a whip directing all its MPs to attend a meeting of its parliamentary wing the following day. All six rebel MPs were absent from the meeting. On the same day, the party’s leader in Parliament, Anil Desai, issued a show-cause notice to MPs, asking them to respond within seven days. On Friday, Desai issued another notice asking them to respond within 24 hours. The party has taken no further action since then.
Shinde said on Monday that the six MPs did not join his party for personal gain but to serve the interests of their constituencies. Referring specifically to Nepalkar, he said he would support him in his fight for justice. Shinde also addressed the challenges faced by MPs in implementing development works.
“I will organize a meeting of all ministers so that the problems of all MPs can be resolved immediately,” he said.
Of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, the number of Shiv Sena seats has now risen to 13, including the six rebel Sena MPs (UBT). Congress also has 13 representatives from the state. Independent MP Vishal Patel supports Congress. The BJP has nine MPs, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) has eight, the Sena (UBT) has three and the NCP has one.
Shinde also said that the six MPs will contest future elections on a Shiv Sena ticket. The statement comes at a time when two rebel MPs defeated BJP and NCP candidates while contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on a Sena (UBT) ticket. The MPs were unsure whether the BJP and NCP, allies of the BJP in the Mahayoti government, would allow the Senate to contest these seats in the upcoming elections.
Reacting to this development, Sena leader Gajanan Kirtikar said: “The six MLAs have officially joined the Shiv Sena and the formalities were finalized last week. They are part of the Sena now and not a separate group.”
Sena Party (UBT) leader and MP Aaditya Thackeray reacted sharply, saying: “To the greedy MPs who jumped in, you are just proving that: your loyalty, your reputation is shamelessly for sale. The government is biased and using public money, politically, as money… Voters voted against the NDA candidates and for India in your constituencies, and for everything it stands for. Just accept that your greed made you give up all that overnight, no “Shame.”
“I had a problem with one man in the Sena (UBT). Uddhavji should have visited Bhandup much earlier. The Sena (UBT) wants slaves, they don’t want powerful people in the party,” said Sanjay Dina Patil, a member of Parliament from north-east Mumbai and one of the six rebel MPs.
