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Shiv Sena Split: Defections, Speculation, and the Legacy of the 2022 Revolt

Wednesday, June 17, 2026
5 min read
Shiv Sena Split: Defections, Speculation, and the Legacy of the 2022 Revolt

Four years after that big revolt, the split in Shiv Sena is still hanging over Uddhav Thackeray’s party. Now, there’s this fresh buzz about people actually leaving. It feels like it’s happening again.

Reports are swirling that some of the MPs are planning to make moves. They’re reportedly looking to meet with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in New Delhi this Wednesday.

The speculation is intense. We're talking about six out of nine MPs elected under the Shiv Sena (UBT) banner in 2024, maybe even fourteen or sixteen MLAs might decide to jump ship to the Eknath Shinde side soon. This is all happening right before June 19th, the foundation day for the party. India Today cited sources when they floated this idea.

Two MPs have already made it to the capital. Others are expected later today. Where exactly will these meetings happen? Sources suggest the rebel leaders might meet at Shrikant Shinde’s residence, with Eknath also expected there. And naturally, those defecting would probably link up with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla around 10 am today.

No formal split has actually happened yet. But the noise is loud enough that party leaders are scrambling. They're holding emergency meetings and trying to put out denials publicly.

This whole defection talk gained serious traction after some MPs were reportedly missing a recent gathering Uddhav Thackeray called at Matoshree. The story gets complicated quickly. Sources said four of the MPs attended virtually, but one even spoke to Thackeray over the phone.

Yet, rumors just keep going. Things like Sanjay Deshmukh meeting Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav from the Shinde camp even that was whispered about being non-political, according to him later.

Amid all this uncertainty, Uddhav Thackeray did say something to the MPs. He reportedly told them that anyone wanting to leave was free to do so. He brought up the 2022 rebellion. He said he knew things were moving then, but he didn't push anyone into staying.

“A major split happened four years ago,” he said to his party members. “Forty MLAs walked away. Do you think I was unaware of what was happening?”

He added something that felt heavy. Those who abandoned Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena would eventually regret it, but by then? It would be too late.

“Today might not be my time, but tomorrow certainly will be,” he remarked. “Until then, we have to endure and persevere.”

Some leaders, though, are pushing back hard against these fears. Anil Desai, the party leader, basically said all MPs still trust Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership. He dismissed the whole speculation as baseless. Aaditya Thackeray also pushed back on the idea that MPs were actively preparing to switch sides.

But Sanjay Raut is painting a different picture. He alleged that there are attempts being made to lure UBT MPs with large sums of money. The rumor is that some Lok Sabha MPs might switch allegiance to the Eknath Shinde faction through these offers. In a late-night post on X, Raut claimed an advance payment of fifteen crore rupees was being offered just to make defections happen.

Priyanka Chaturvedi also weighed in. She said something sharp about the dynamic itself. “The BJP shouldn't keep believing that by gathering a gang of cobras, they’ll feed the snakes milk and only bite the opposition. Your time will come because it is nature for a snake to bite; if today is our turn, tomorrow could be yours too.”

It’s clear the foundation the split itself in June 2022 when Eknath Shinde revolted against Uddhav Thackeray while he was still senior leadership set the stage. That rebellion brought in forty MLAs out of the party's fifty-five, which led to the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by Thackeray.

That split didn’t just stay in Maharashtra Assembly. Over time, constitutional authorities awarded most of the Shiv Sena’s organizational network, a majority of elected representatives, and even the party's official name and symbol to the Shinde faction.

And that’s how things settled for now. Uddhav Thackeray rebuilt his political setup under the banner of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), leaning on the family legacy, worker support, and public sympathy following that huge break. It's an ongoing mess, really.

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.

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