Mumbai, June 22
Six Lok Sabha MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday joined the ruling Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, formally widening the divide between the two factions of the party.
The MPs who joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena are Sanjay Deshmukh from Yavatmal, Sanjay Jadhav from Parbhani, Sanjay Dina Patil from Mumbai North East, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar from Hingoli, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar from Dharashiv, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure from Shirdi.
The move came five days after six MPs skipped a key Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by only three Lok Sabha members from the Uddhav Thackeray faction.
Welcoming the MPs into his party, Shinde said they had joined the “original Shiv Sena” that follows the teachings of the late Balasaheb Thackeray.
“Four years back I took a strong step, and now I have hit a sixer,” Shinde said, referring to the number of Lok Sabha MPs who switched sides.
Shinde said his earlier rebellion in June 2022 was aimed at protecting Balasaheb Thackeray’s principles and preserving the Shiv Sena. He described the latest development as the “second stage of Shiv Sena expansion”.
“Operation Tiger is now complete and successful,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
The six MPs had won their respective Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 general elections against BJP and Shiv Sena candidates. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had secured nine Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in the 2024 polls.
The latest shift represents another major political setback for the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction, while strengthening Shinde’s control over the Shiv Sena organisation ahead of future political developments in Maharashtra.
