Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs unite amid defection rumours; all nine attend meeting with Uddhav

Mumbai: Amid persistent speculation that some of its Lok Sabha members might defect to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting with all nine MPs of his faction on Sunday. The meeting took place at Thackeray's residence, Matoshree, in Bandra East.

Four MPs attended in person, four joined virtually, and one spoke over the phone, according to party Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut. Following the meeting, Raut asserted that all MPs remain firmly with the party.

The meeting's significance is heightened by the buzz around 'Operation Tiger' — a term used for alleged attempts to lure opposition legislators to the ruling party. Raut also claimed that a Congress MLC had offered ₹20 crore to a Shiv Sena (UBT) MP to switch sides, a charge the MLC denied.

The MPs who attended in person were Anil Desai, Arvind Sawant, and Sanjay Patil from Mumbai, and Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje. Those appearing virtually were Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi), Nagesh Bapurao Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), and Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim). Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani) spoke to Thackeray over the phone.

Raut said MLA Aaditya Thackeray was also present. He added, “All MPs are firmly standing united and are loyally behind the Shiv Sena (UBT). Now, at least, we hope the rumour mill will stop!”

An MP at the meeting explained the virtual attendance: Nimbalkar's son is hospitalised, Wakchaure is in Hyderabad for his wife's treatment, Deshmukh and Ashtikar Patil were engaged in campaigning for the legislative council polls, and Jadhav had prior commitments.

During the meeting, party chief Uddhav Thackeray instructed the MPs to monitor the disbursal of farm loan waiver funds announced by the Maharashtra government and to coordinate with party MLAs wherever possible.