Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Defect to Eknath Shinde

Six Lok Sabha MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT) defected to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on June 22, 2026, in a coordinated effort dubbed 'Operation Tiger'. The defectors—Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, and Nagesh Patil Ashtikar—initially signaled their rebellion by skipping a mandatory parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi on June 17. They subsequently met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to request recognition as a separate group, enabling them to merge with Shinde's faction and avoid disqualification under anti-defection laws by meeting the two-thirds majority threshold.

Shinde hailed the operation as a success, citing a development-oriented agenda and the need to preserve the original ideology of founder Balasaheb Thackeray. To solidify the merger, Shinde released development funds to the new members, including 18 crore rupees for the Dharashiv municipal council. In contrast, Uddhav Thackeray and his ally Sanjay Raut condemned the move as 'Operation Betrayal'. Raut alleged that the MPs were lured by bribes of up to 50 crore rupees each, while Thackeray accused the BJP of orchestrating the split to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to pass a delimitation bill.

Following the split, Shiv Sena (UBT) issued show-cause notices and initiated disqualification proceedings against the rebels. Uddhav Thackeray offered to resign as party president if he had lost the trust of his ranks and launched a state-wide outreach tour across districts like Nagpur and Yavatmal to engage with loyalists. The crisis culminated in rival 60th anniversary celebrations in Mumbai on June 19, marked by a public 'poster war' between the two factions.