It was a busy day for the state’s politics on Sunday. Devendra Fadnavis put the word out that ‘Operation Tiger’ had been a success, while Shinde let it be known there were more defections from the UBT wing in the offing. And with two of their own now on the other side, the pressure is on Thackeray before any anti-defection ruling comes down.
Why the numbers matter now
Right now, the Sena (UBT) can count nine in the Lok Sabha. But if you want to form a rebel group and not be disqualified under the rules, you need at least six of them on your side.
Go over that line and you’re left with only three in the Uddhav camp. It makes every statement a little more of a game of chicken to see where everyone is standing.
Fadnavis claims success, urges introspection
In a joint briefing, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called it a day of change. “The operation has been successful, and the body is in very good health. There is no need for anyone to worry. Those who need to introspect should do so,” he put it.
He also made a point of calling the Shinde Sena the true heir to Bal Thackeray. “Shiv Sena is not just a political party. It is Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology. It is not a legacy of property, but of ideas.”
Shinde signals more moves ahead
Then there is Eknath Shinde, who upended the undivided Shiv Sena in 2022. He didn’t think Sunday would be the end of it. “Whenever I make a move, I see it through. We have already shown you that,” he said.
His words got a bit pointed. “You will have some breaking news. The MPs are abused, and then you (Thackeray) want them back. There is a chemical locha.” To be clear, he added, “We don’t do half-baked work. What we do is foolproof.”
Two MPs cross over, citing funds and opposition limits
Nagesh Patil Ashtikar of Hingoli and Omraje Nimbalkar from Dharashiv have put pen to paper to join with Shinde. They made their calls hours before the pressers, saying they were done with the lack of money for their constituencies and the limits of being in the opposition.
For Nimbalkar, it was about talking to his people in Dharashiv and the fact that development funds were hard to come by. Ashtikar says he and a few others weren’t going to make a move until 18th June, but what was said to them after that made them reconsider.
Shinde defends Nimbalkar, alleges mistreatment
Shinde has Nimbalkar’s back, noting the MP has been under a lot of emotional strain as he waits for a decision in the case of his father’s alleged murder.
In a pointed remark, he laid into the Sena (UBT) top brass for what he saw as their targeting and mistreatment of Nimbalkar – “shameful and unacceptable,” in his words.
The line of defence put forward was to make of the defections not some cold political calculation, but a reaction to how they were handled from within the party.
Who is in the frame
You could have made a case for six of the Sena (UBT)’s Lok Sabha MPs being on everyone’s radar in the run-up to Sunday: Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar and Nimbalkar. Come Sunday, word is at least two of them have put down in writing that they are with the Shinde side.
Should four others come over, you hit the anti-defection mark. It would also put Shinde in a much stronger position in Parliament.
Uddhav Thackeray has his say: there is only one Shiv Sena
Thackeray was having none of it. In a forceful response meant to get his workers and voters in line, he said, “I am sorry for the mistake of making them candidates. You put them in because of the name and the torch.” But he was firm on one thing: “There is only one Shiv Sena.”
He made no bones about it at a Bhandup rally in Mumbai, where he put the blame for the party’s troubles at the door of the BJP and the Shinde faction. “An outsider can’t be the one to call the shots on who runs this party,” he told the crowd.
A matter of legacy and symbols
Fadnavis wasn’t about to let Uddhav’s take stand unchallenged when it comes to the party’s soul. “It is an open and shut case that the real Shiv Sena is with Eknath Shinde,” he said. “Balasaheb’s bow-and-arrow is in his hands, and so is his ideology.”
Bringing up Bal Thackeray’s name makes it clear this isn’t just about headcounts; it’s about who gets to be the face of the party.
‘Operation Tiger’ in a nutshell
They are calling the Shinde camp’s efforts 'Operation Tiger‘, after the old icon of the undivided Sena. Fadnavis put it with a wry turn of phrase: “The operation is a success. The body is in good shape too.”
All the talk aside, the point is to build up Shinde’s numbers in the House by luring in defectors from Uddhav’s side.
What to keep an eye on
With tempers flaring and the law in the background, the coming days will tell. A few things to watch:
– Will we see four more MPs in the Shinde fold?
– Any action on the anti-defection front?
– How the Uddhav camp goes about holding its ground
– What the mood is like in the constituencies of the six MPs in question
– More “breaking news” from the Shinde side
When the dust settled, both were dug in. For Shinde, the walkouts prove he has the true Sena. Uddhav’s stance is one of ownership and resistance. We’ll have to wait for the next round of pronouncements to see whose story is the one that sticks.
