In a significant political development, six out of nine Lok Sabha MPs of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena-UBT skipped a crucial parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi, defying the party whip. This move, known as “Operation Tiger” led by the Shinde camp, has prompted Uddhav Thackeray to call for an urgent damage-control meeting on Friday. The potential loss of a Member of Parliament from Mumbai, a stronghold for the Thackeray faction, has caused concern within the party leadership.
Angry party workers are worried about the possible vacuum this defection could create at the local level. To address this, Uddhav Thackeray has scheduled an urgent meeting at his residence, Matoshree, on Friday at 12 p.m. This high-level meeting aims to gather local office-bearers, former corporators, and grassroots leaders from the Mumbai North-East constituency to assess their allegiance and prevent poaching by rival factions.
Following reports of another defection under “Operation Tiger,” Uddhav Thackeray faces a challenging situation ahead of upcoming political confrontations. The six rebel MPs, including prominent names like Sanjay Dina Patil and Omraje Nimbalkar, have expressed intentions to form a separate bloc in the Lok Sabha and are likely to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The Chief Whip’s emergency meeting in New Delhi highlighted the escalating political turmoil within the party.
