India

Political Conflict and Defections in Maharashtra

Monday, June 29, 2026
5 min read
Political Conflict and Defections in Maharashtra

A real political mess is brewing in Maharashtra right now. It’s a war of words, really, between Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis . They keep locking horns over stuff that just seems to be escalating fast. This all kicked off days after six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs actually jumped ship to the Eknath Shinde faction.

Thackeray started throwing around some big claims recently. He was talking about the BJP’s so-called ‘Operation Tiger’. But he twisted it, saying it wasn't against the opposition at all. It was supposedly designed just to keep Fadnavis from becoming a future prime minister.

“The MPs defected even though there were no elections,” Thackeray argued. “Why didn't they just join the BJP? I think this whole thing is actually ‘Operation Devendra’. Amit Shah probably set it up, trying to keep Fadnavis low-level. So he doesn’t enter the race for PM.” He ended with a sharp implication: if things change tomorrow, those rebels will vote for Amit Shah for the top job.

He added that ‘Operation Tiger’ was really about making sure the NDA had that two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha before some planned delimitation exercise happened. Things are getting really heated there.

Meanwhile, Fadnavis tried to brush this off when reporters asked him about these claims while he was dealing with infrastructure work in Palghar. He just dug his heels in. “I’m a human being,” he said. “I don't have wings, so who can clip them? I have the support of Maharashtra’s fourteen crore people and my senior leaders. There’s no need to worry.” It felt like a deflection, trying to steer away from the real political drama unfolding behind the scenes.

This response came at a really uncomfortable time for Thackeray. His side just took a major blow when those MPs left six out of nine members joining Shinde's group. That move solidified the ruling Mahayuti alliance, making the confrontation between the two camps even sharper. The questions about what this means for the future of Shiv Sena (UBT) are still hanging heavy in the air.

And then there’s this whole other noise. Just days before these sharp exchanges, Fadnavis and Thackeray unexpectedly shared a flight from Mumbai to Nagpur. It turned into huge political speculation right away. The flight also included Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut.

Fadnavis tried to downplay the entire encounter. He joked that the real headline wasn't the shared journey itself at all. “The fact that the three of us Uddhav, Sanjay Raut, and I were on the flight is the biggest news,” he told TV9 Marathi. It was a way of minimizing what everyone was watching.

The BJP side insisted there was zero political meaning to the meeting. They called it just a coincidence. Political rivals don’t have to be personal enemies, they suggested. But you can feel that friction everywhere. The whole situation feels incredibly sensitive right now for Thackeray. His faction has clearly suffered a massive setback recently with those defections strengthening Shinde's side. It all feeds into this ongoing political clash between the two camps.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

#sensational#india#global#trending

More from India

View All

Latest Headlines