Maharashtra's politics appears headed for another major upheaval. The chain of events being described in political circles as ‘Operation Tiger’ has now reached a fever pitch. Six of the nine MPs belonging to Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) have already arrived in Delhi, and the buzz is that they could sever ties with the party this very day and move into Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena.
The Faces Behind the Revolt
The MPs whose names are being linked to this possible split include Sanjay Deshmukh, Dina Patil, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Omraje Nimbalkar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure and Sanjay Jadhav. In other words, two-thirds of the party's Lok Sabha members are currently camped in Delhi, laying bare the trouble brewing for the Uddhav camp.
Shinde's Moves in Delhi
On the other side, Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde first held a meeting in Mumbai with leaders close to him, after which speculation about his next steps intensified. Shinde himself then travelled to Delhi. According to sources, he could meet these rebel MPs this morning at the residence of his son Shrikant Shinde, who leads the Shiv Sena's parliamentary group.
Sources further suggest that only after this meeting concludes will all the rebel MPs go to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. During that meeting, they are expected to hand Om Birla a letter stating their decision to break away from the Shiv Sena (UBT). The entire sequence, in short, seems to be unfolding as part of a worked-out plan.
The Uddhav Camp Hits Back
To counter this revolt, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has made its own move. Arvind Sawant, regarded as a loyalist of Uddhav Thackeray, has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker requesting that no recognition be granted to any party MP who forms a separate group or merges into another party.
In his letter, Sawant has argued that the Shiv Sena (UBT) is a single political party and is the one recognised in the eyes of the law. The party's case is that a party's existence in Parliament flows from its original political party, and therefore no breakaway faction can claim to represent that same party. Against this backdrop, the coming hours could prove crucial for Maharashtra's politics.
