As the Shiv Sena marks six decades since its founding, Mumbai finds itself at the center of one of Maharashtra's most dramatic political spectacles, not a celebration, but a collision. Two rival factions, both claiming the soul of the same party, are squaring off in a war of optics, loyalty and legacy that could permanently reshape the state's political landscape.
Operation Tiger Draws Blood on Foundation Day
In what amounts to a crippling blow to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), six of its nine Lok Sabha members have rebelled and defied a crucial party whip, marking the definitive success of the Eknath Shinde faction's meticulously executed plan, code-named "Operation Tiger."
The six MPs, Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), and Sanjay Patil (Mumbai North East), are set to formally merge with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena on June 19, the party's 60th foundation day. With this, Shinde's faction will command 13 MPs, elevating it to third-largest party within the NDA, as per reports.
Minister Uday Samant had telegraphed the move days earlier with a cryptic social media post, suggesting that many "formidable ones have been subdued".
Uddhav Fights To Hold What Remains
The Thackeray faction, now reduced to just three MPs, has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker demanding exclusive recognition as the official party. It is a defensive maneuver by a faction increasingly cornered, fighting not for expansion but for survival.
Against this backdrop, Thackeray is expected to address his cadre today with a message of emotional defiance.
Two Factions, One Ghost: The Battle for Balasaheb's Mantle
The bitterest dimension of today's showdown is not political arithmetic, it is symbolism. The year 2026 carries double significance for the Thackeray family and the party: it marks both the 100th birth anniversary of Balasaheb Thackeray and the 60th foundation year of the Shiv Sena he built from the ground up.
Balasaheb Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena on June 19, 1966, originally as a political vehicle for the Marathi manoos before steering it into a dominant Hindutva force. Both factions now claim to be the true inheritors of that vision. Shinde's camp emphasises continuity with Balasaheb's ideological DNA, while Thackeray positions himself as the legitimate custodian of his father's legacy, a claim with deeply personal, not merely political, resonance.
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