Operation Tiger in 2026: How Eknath Shinde Is Splitting Shiv Sena UBT All Over Again
History has a way of repeating itself in Maharashtra politics. Especially on anniversaries.
On June 18, 2026, exactly four years after Eknath Shinde led a dramatic rebellion that brought down Uddhav Thackeray's government, a new crisis rocked the Shiv Sena (UBT). Six of the party's nine Lok Sabha MPs defied a formal party whip, skipped an emergency parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi, and reportedly submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking a Shiv Sena UBT merger with the Eknath Shinde faction.
The internal operation behind all this has a name. Shinde's camp calls it Operation Tiger.
What Is Operation Tiger and Why It Matters for Maharashtra Politics
Operation Tiger is the code name for a carefully planned effort by the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena to engineer a second split within Uddhav Thackeray's party at the parliamentary level.
The idea is not subtle. It is methodical. Shinde's allies identified, contacted, and reportedly convinced six out of nine Shiv Sena UBT Lok Sabha MPs to break away from Uddhav Thackeray's command and merge formally with the ruling Shiv Sena.
The timing is pointed. June 19 is Shiv Sena's 60th Foundation Day, the anniversary of the party founded by Bal Thackeray. A merger announcement around that date carries symbolic weight.
The Six Rebel MPs: Who Skipped the Whip and What It Means
Shiv Sena UBT called an emergency parliamentary party meeting on June 18 and issued a formal party whip mandating attendance. A whip is not a suggestion. It is a binding direction.
Only three MPs showed up: Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, and Rajabhau Waje. Sanjay Raut attended from the Rajya Sabha.
The six who did not come were Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Omraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, and Nagesh Patil Ashtikar. Sources confirmed that all six had signed a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla formally seeking a Shiv Sena UBT split and merger with the Shinde faction. A formal announcement of the merger was expected around June 21.
The Anti-Defection Law: Why the Number Six Is the Magic Number
This is the legal architecture that makes the number six so critical.
India's anti-defection law, enshrined in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, says that if a member of a legislative party voluntarily gives up their party membership or votes against party direction, they can be disqualified from Parliament.
But there is a provision. If at least two-thirds of a party's parliamentary group moves together to merge with another party, they are protected from disqualification. Shiv Sena UBT has nine Lok Sabha MPs. Two-thirds of nine is exactly six. That is not a coincidence in the rebels' calculation.
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Sanjay Raut has already announced that the party will seek the disqualification of the six MPs for violating the whip. The Shinde camp has pushed back, arguing that a party whip under the Tenth Schedule can only apply to votes in the House, not attendance at internal party meetings. This legal dispute is heading toward the Speaker's office, and possibly the Supreme Court.
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Operation Tiger Expands: BMC Corporators in the Crosshairs
The operation does not stop at Parliament. Shinde's Shiv Sena has also claimed that roughly 25 corporators from Shiv Sena UBT in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation are willing to switch sides. In the 2026 BMC elections, UBT won 65 seats while Shinde's Sena won 29. If even a portion of those 25 corporators cross over, the BMC balance of power shifts substantially.
UBT's Opposition leader in BMC, Kishori Pednekar, dismissed these claims as political rumour. But the pattern of denial followed by defection is familiar to anyone who watched 2022 unfold.
Closing Thoughts
What is happening to Shiv Sena UBT is not just a party crisis. It is a recurring lesson in how political loyalty, legal architecture, and institutional power interact in Indian democracy. The Tenth Schedule was designed to stop opportunistic defections, but it was written before anyone imagined a world where entire parliamentary blocs could be methodically persuaded to move as a unit.
Uddhav Thackeray lost his party name and symbol in 2022. Now, the question is how much of what is left he can hold together.
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Disclaimer: This article is based on information available across the web. Parchar Manch does not take responsibility for its complete accuracy, as the content could not be fully verified.
FAQs
What is Operation Tiger in Maharashtra politics?
Operation Tiger is the code name for Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction's plan to engineer a split within Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena UBT at the parliamentary level, by convincing six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs to defect and merge with the Shinde faction.
Why did six Shiv Sena UBT MPs defy the party whip?
The six MPs — Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Omraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, and Nagesh Patil Ashtikar — skipped an emergency party meeting on June 18, 2026, signalling their decision to merge with Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. They reportedly submitted a merger letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
What is the anti-defection law and how does it apply here?
India's anti-defection law, under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, disqualifies MPs who switch parties. However, if at least two-thirds of a parliamentary party's members merge together with another party, they are exempt from disqualification. Since UBT has nine Lok Sabha MPs, six is exactly two-thirds.
What happens next in the Shiv Sena UBT split?
A formal merger announcement with Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena was expected around June 21. Sanjay Raut and the UBT have announced they will seek disqualification of the rebel MPs under the Tenth Schedule. This will likely be contested before the Lok Sabha Speaker and possibly the Supreme Court.
Is this the first time Shiv Sena has split?
No. The original Shiv Sena split occurred in June 2022, when Eknath Shinde led 40 MLAs in a rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray, bringing down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Shinde subsequently became Maharashtra Chief Minister, and the Election Commission later gave his faction the Shiv Sena name and bow-and-arrow symbol.
What is the BMC connection to Operation Tiger?
The Shinde faction has also claimed that around 25 Shiv Sena UBT corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation may switch sides. UBT won 65 BMC seats in the 2026 elections. A significant crossover would alter the municipal balance of power in Mumbai significantly.