Maharashtra’s political scene is once again heating up as five Lok Sabha MPs from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) faction are reportedly in talks to join the rival camp led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Sources suggest this could be part of a larger, behind-the-scenes effort—informally dubbed ‘Operation Tiger’—meant to bolster Shinde’s position ahead of the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, which begins on July 27.
The timing is strategic. With key local body elections approaching across the state—covering Zilla Parishads, Panchayat Samitis, and Municipal Corporations—the defection of these MPs could deliver a major setback to the Thackeray faction. Their absence could not only damage morale but also disrupt grassroots campaigning efforts.
Aware of the looming threat, the Uddhav camp has swung into damage-control mode, holding urgent internal discussions to prevent further political erosion. For the faction that has already faced defections in the past, this moment feels especially critical.
While neither side has confirmed the developments officially, the possibility of such a shift highlights the ongoing realignment within the Shiv Sena, a party now split in both ideology and allegiance. As Maharashtra edges closer to key elections, the state’s political landscape remains anything but stable.
