Images from a crucial meeting between six rebel Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MPs and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla have emerged, shedding new light on the political operation that led to their move to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction.
The images are linked with what has been called ‘Operation Tiger’, a highly planned political strategy that culminated in six Lok Sabha MP resignations as part of Uddhav Thackeray’s camp last month. The blow to the Shiv Sena (UBT) was a reminder of Maharashtra’s political crisis of 2022 that saw the party split after Eknath Shinde’s rebellion.
The operation went on for several months and was to end in New Delhi. The six MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on 17 June and submitted a letter seeking separate recognition in Parliament. Their move came after they had the numbers to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
The newly released photos have shown the rebel lawmakers meeting Birla in the presence of Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde (the son of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde) and Maharashtra minister Pratap Sarnaik. The pictures have reignited political debate over how the operation was conducted and the level of planning involved.
According to officials who are aware of the sequence of the events, rebel MP Omraje Nimbalkar arrived in Delhi early in the morning to meet Lok Sabha Speaker at 6.30 am. After signing the documents, he returned to Maharashtra.
The other five MPs—Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar and Bhausaheb Wakchaure—arrived at the Leela Hotel in Delhi at 7.30 am. Shrikant Shinde and Pratap Sarnaik also arrived separately to avoid drawing attention.
The group later traveled to Om Birla’s residence at 9.30 am where the rest of the MPs signed the defection papers. The photos also show the five lawmakers together in the garden of the Speaker’s house, pictures only now made available in the public domain.
The rebel MPs justified their decision by saying that Uddhav Thackeray was considering merging his Shiv Sena faction with the Congress, which was unacceptable. They said that their ideological differences had widened and joining the Shinde-led Shiv Sena was in line with the party's original political philosophy.
Their defection greatly bolstered Eknath Shinde's standing in the party and Parliament. It also dealt another blow to the Uddhav Thackeray camp that questioned the legitimacy of the rebel MPs and opposed their recognition as a separate group.
After the switch, Eknath Shinde declared ‘Operation Tiger’ “complete and successful”. Introducing the six MPs to his camp, Shinde said they were experienced leaders with deep grassroots support.
"The six tigers are here. They have all now joined the real Shiv Sena family. I welcome them to the real Shiv Sena family," Shinde said in front of the party workers.
Poking comparisons with the 2022 rebellion that transformed Maharashtra politics, the Deputy Chief Minister said this latest development was another big victory for his faction.
"Four years ago, on June 22, 2022, we staged a rebellion in the Shiv Sena with 40 MLAs. This time we have hit a six—not a four, but a six. This is our sixer," he said.
The photographs have once again brought Maharashtra’s political shifts to the fore. Both Shiv Sena factions remain fighting for political legitimacy and public support and the pictures reveal the behind-the-scenes planning that led to one of the most dramatic parliamentary defections in recent months.
