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Shiv Sena (UBT) Split Rumors and "Operation Tiger"

Wednesday, June 17, 2026
5 min read
Shiv Sena (UBT) Split Rumors and "Operation Tiger"

The Shiv Sena (UBT) seems to be heading for another major split. Sources are whispering that fourteen to sixteen MLAs and seven MPs are actually preparing to walk out of Uddhav Thackeray’s party.

This whole thing could happen fast. They say it might materialize in just six or seven days. If that happens, it’s another huge blow to Thackeray after all that rebellion back in 2022. That really shook up Maharashtra politics.

The story isn't just about the Sena right now. It’s bubbling up after those talks with the Trinamool Congress, but now everyone is focused on the Shiv Sena (UBT) . Something else is clearly happening behind the scenes.

There are rumors floating around about something called “Operation Tiger.” This has caused real concern inside the party. People worry some of the MPs might actually jump over to the rival group led by Eknath Shinde, who controls the other faction of Shiv Sena.

That speculation got serious enough for Uddhav Thackeray to call a meeting. He gathered all nine Lok Sabha MPs from the Shiv Sena (UBT) at Matoshree, his place in Mumbai. The whole point was to check where the party stood and try to fight back against these growing rumors of a split. But even that meeting quickly became fodder for more political chatter across the state.

Prataprao Jadhav, who is with Shinde Sena, recently met with some Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs, like Sanjay Deshmukh. He said something pointed. “We’ve been colleagues before, we keep meeting. That doesn't mean anyone is leaving their party.” But then he added the punchline. “When we talk to them, though, we realize a lot of them are unhappy with the Thackerays and Sanjay Raut. They feel they are constantly under suspicion about who they meet and they don’t have access to Matoshree. If these bottled-up feelings finally explode, some might just leave.” He stressed that while MPs and MLAs talk to them that’s true it doesn't mean they quit Shiv Sena (UBT).

Another MP from the UBT side, Arvind Sawant, reacted strongly to all this talk of a split. He asked why these names weren’t made public, just like they did with the TMC situation. “There is no tiger there; they have no teeth,” he said. “Those making these claims should ask themselves who exactly they are in touch with.” He finished by saying they made their position clear on Sunday. All MPs attended that meeting. Those who couldn't be there joined via video call.

The term “Operation Tiger” is getting tossed around a lot now across Maharashtra political circles. It’s being used to describe this alleged effort by the Shinde-led Sena faction to pull people away from the Thackeray camp.

Reports keep coming that several Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs have been talking with leaders from the Shinde side. And these talks reportedly went further, even happening in Delhi recently. This is what gave all those rumors momentum. Pratap Jadhav had claimed that basically all the UBT MPs were in contact with Eknath Shinde.

There are also whispers about confidential meetings involving some of the Thackeray camp members. That just keeps fueling the speculation about a possible realignment, you know? It’s messy.

Of course, the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde has publicly shut this down. They deny any attempt to engineer defections from other parties. Party leaders have dismissed all talk of “Operation Tiger” as pure political guesswork.

Shaina NC, a leader in that camp, spoke on Tuesday. She said the party isn’t interested in breaking up other organizations at all. She pushed back hard against the idea. “We have no interest in splitting any party,” she stated firmly. “Everyone sees how popular our leader is. Eknath Shinde is loyal to the common people and he works right down at the grassroots level.”

She continued, trying to frame it differently. “He doesn’t work from home. The way people are joining Shiv Sena every day that shows there is progress across Maharashtra.” She finished by reframing the whole narrative. “So there is no Operation Tiger,” she insisted. “There is only Operation Progress .”

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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