A meeting of Shiv Sena (UBT) Members of Parliament began in New Delhi on Thursday amid speculation of a possible split within the party, triggered by reports of an alleged ‘Operation Tiger’ in Maharashtra. The meeting, held at the party’s Parliament Office, comes after the issuance of a whip directing all MPs to be present. However, as the meeting commenced, only three of the nine Lok Sabha MPs—Anil Desai, Arvind Sawant, and Rajabhau Waje—had reportedly arrived at the venue. Senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut is also attending the meeting.
It remains unclear whether the remaining Lok Sabha MPs, including Sanjay Jadhav, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, and Rajabhau Waje, have joined the meeting.
Ahead of the meeting, Raut struck a defiant tone, warning against dissent within the ranks. “Those who attend are ours, and those who don’t are dishonest and traitors,” he said. He also asserted that party president Uddhav Thackeray is closely monitoring developments and remains in touch with all MPs.
Reaffirming the party’s identity, Raut said, “Since when has Shinde’s Shiv Sena become the original Shiv Sena? The original Shiv Sena is here,” he stated alongside MP Arvind Sawant.
Sawant, when asked about the attendance of MPs, expressed confidence, responding with a thumbs-up gesture.
Addressing reports surrounding ‘Operation Tiger’, Raut dismissed the claims as exaggerated, accusing sections of the media of blowing the issue out of proportion. He denied any possibility of a split within the party or MPs defecting to the rival Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde.
“MPs understand the importance of the meeting. This is nothing new; they have attended such meetings in the past,” Raut added.
The meeting is seen as significant in the backdrop of ongoing political developments in Maharashtra, with party leadership aiming to project unity amid speculation of internal dissent.
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