Fresh political turmoil appears to be brewing in Maharashtra, with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena claiming that more than 14 MLAs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) are preparing to defect, intensifying speculation over a second phase of “Operation Tiger”
Maharashtra after state minister Gulabrao Patil claimed that more than 14 MLAs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) would soon join the Eknath Shinde-led faction, Indian Express reported.
The remarks come just days after six of the party’s nine Lok Sabha MPs defected to the Shinde camp, dealing a major blow to the Opposition outfit.
‘Operation Tiger 2.0’ Underway?
According to the report, Patil suggested that another political realignment was imminent.
“Wait for some time, more than 14 MLAs will come with him (Eknath Shinde). Eknath Shinde does not speak much, he only moves his hand on his beard. Aaditya Thackeray himself had said this earlier. Whenever Eknath Shinde moves his hand on his beard, Operation Tiger becomes successful,” Indian Express quoted Patil as saying.
His statement comes amid reports that three to four Shiv Sena (UBT) legislators met Shinde during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Assembly and indicated that a larger group of MLAs was willing to join the ruling faction. However, there has been no official confirmation of such a meeting from either camp.
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Numbers Behind The Speculation
The Shiv Sena (UBT) currently has 20 MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly. Under the anti-defection law, at least 14 legislators, two-thirds of the legislature party, would need to break away together to avoid disqualification.
Out of the party’s 20 MLAs, 10, including Aaditya Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray’s cousin Varun Sardesai and Sanjay Raut’s brother Sunil Raut, belong to Mumbai.
Reports have claimed that between 14 and 16 MLAs are in touch with the Shinde camp. However, leaders of the ruling Shiv Sena have maintained that they are not attempting to engineer defections and that legislators are approaching them voluntarily.
Uddhav Camp Dismisses Claims
The latest claims come two days after Uddhav Thackeray chaired a meeting of Maha Vikas Aghadi legislators. Of the alliance’s 60 MLAs, 37 attended the meeting while 23 remained absent, fuelling speculation over possible cracks within the Opposition.
Following the meeting, Thackeray had stressed that Opposition unity should exist “on the ground and not only on paper.”
The Uddhav camp has dismissed the latest defection claims as baseless, India TV reported.
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Shinde Hints At More ‘Political Earthquakes’
Earlier this week, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde hinted that the defection of six Lok Sabha MPs was only the beginning.
Referring to the development as part of “Operation Tiger,” Shinde told the Assembly that more political shocks were on the way.
“The ‘loud shock’ delivered yesterday has severely rattled their mental balance. I want to tell them—this is just the beginning. More shocks are yet to come,” he said.
Mocking the condition of the Thackeray faction, Shinde added, “Now they have no real issues left to raise; they are drowning in despair. If they were present in the House today, I would have told them—look who you were, what you have become, and how foolishly you have ruined yourself.”
The claims have intensified political speculation in Maharashtra, though no MLA from the Shiv Sena (UBT) has publicly announced a decision to join the Shinde-led faction so far.
