Maharashtra politics has been rocked by yet another major political upheaval. As the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) marks its 60th foundation day, the party appears set to lose two-thirds of its Lok Sabha strength after six of its nine MPs defied the party whip and skipped a meeting of the parliamentary unit on Thursday. The development bears striking similarities to the dramatic Eknath Shinde-led rebellion of 2022.
On Thursday, the party issued show-cause notices to the six MPs, who separately wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, claiming they feared the party was moving towards a merger with the Congress. According to Shiv Sena leaders, the six MPs submitted a four-page letter proposing the formation of a separate group. However, the contents of the letter have not been independently verified.
What Happened?
- On June 16, six MPs quietly left various cities across Maharashtra.
- They reportedly managed to evade local intelligence agencies and the Mumbai media, travelling to Delhi on chartered aircraft.
- Instead of staying in Delhi, they were accommodated at a high-security luxury hotel in Noida to maintain complete secrecy.
- On the night of June 17, the MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and submitted a formal letter seeking recognition as a separate group.
What Are the Rebels Claiming? How Has Uddhav Thackeray Reacted?
The rebel MPs informed the Speaker that Uddhav Thackeray was allegedly preparing to merge Shiv Sena (UBT) with the Congress Party, a move they claimed was contrary to the party's core ideology. As a result, they decided to break away from the faction.
The MPs are now reportedly seeking a merger with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and have requested that they be allotted seats alongside Shinde faction MPs in the Lok Sabha.
The Uddhav Thackeray camp has strongly condemned the move, calling it a conspiracy and a betrayal. The party's chief whip issued a strict three-line whip, but the six rebel MPs stayed away from the scheduled meeting. Only three loyalist MPs: Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje, attended the meeting.
Senior leader Sanjay Raut said formal notices were being issued to the rebels and that legal action would be initiated to seek their disqualification. He also alleged that "Operation Tiger" involved attempts to lure MPs away from the party.
Who Are the Rebels?
The six MPs leading the rebellion are:
-Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani)
-Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi)
-Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim)
-Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli)
-Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East)
-Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv)
The political drama comes amid the party's 60th foundation day celebrations. Friday is expected to witness a direct show of strength, with separate events being organised by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.
This marks the third major political crisis in Maharashtra following the vertical splits in the Shiv Sena in 2022 and the Nationalist Congress Party in 2023. The latest developments come just days after reports emerged of a rebellion within the Trinamool Congress, adding to the churn in national politics.