Shiv Sena (UBT) supremo Uddhav Thackeray held a crucial meeting with party leaders and lawmakers on Sunday amid reports that several of his party leaders are in touch with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The meeting was called at the former chief minister's Matoshri residence in Mumbai's Bandra East area.
Out of the party's nine Lok Sabha members, three failed to attend it: Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure and Omprakash Rajenimbalkar.
The meeting is being viewed as an effort to gauge the loyalty and the internal cohesion of the organisation, as speculations are rife about a fresh political churn in Maharashtra after sources told India TV earlier this week that seven out of nine UBT's Lok Sabha members are in touch with Shinde and are mulling a switch to the Shiv Sena.
Sources had informed earlier that the MPs reportedly met Shinde in New Delhi on June 7 where a proposal was made to them on joining the Shiv Sena. Adding more to the buzz, Union Minister and Shiv Sena MP Prataprao Jadhav said on Saturday that 'Operation Tiger' is near its completion.
"Operation Tiger is at the verge of completion. Whenever Shinde ji wants it to happen, it will be accomplished immediately," he said, as per media reports.
| Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs | |
| MP | Constituency |
| Arvind Sawant | Mumbai South |
| Sanjay Deshmukh | Yavatmal-Washim |
| Nagesh Patil Ashtikar | Hingoli |
| Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav | Parbhani |
| Rajabhau Waje | Nashik |
| Sanjay Dina Patil | Mumbai North East |
| Bhausaheb Wakchaure | Shirdi |
| Anil Desai | Mumbai South Central |
| Omprakash Rajenimbalkar | Osmanabad/Dharashiv |
Presently, Shinde's Shiv Sena has seven members in the Lok Sabha and it is the third largest constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal United (JD-U).
If seven of UBT MPs decide to join the Shinde Sena, then it would split the party and boost the NDA's numbers in the Lower House. Additionally, those MPs would also be able to avoid the anti-defection law.
However, the Sena UBT has asserted that the party remains united and there will be no split. Further, it has said that Aaditya Thackeray remains UBT's leader will take the next generation forward.
"This is the Thackeray family; they will always rule Maharashtra. Aaditya represents the future of both the party and the state. He is a leader who studies issues deeply, taking a keen interest and working extensively on subjects like education, the environment, and infrastructure. As he now takes charge of the party, our generation will gradually step back. As new leaders come to the fore, we will support them and help the party progress," UBT's Sanjay Raut said on Saturday.
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