Uddhav faces another rebellion; decision today

Six Lok Sabha MPs trying to move away; picture may be clear at today’s Parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi AI generated image Mumbai: A cloak-and-dagger crisis engulfing the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has landed at the door of the Lok Sabha Speaker, with the party urging him to guard against any unlawful defection and issuing a whip directing its MPs to attend a meeting in Delhi on Thursday. Amid the escalating crisis, a group of rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders is learnt to have met...

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Uddhav faces another rebellion; decision today

Six Lok Sabha MPs trying to move away; picture may be clear at today’s Parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi AI generated image Mumbai: A cloak-and-dagger crisis engulfing the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has landed at the door of the Lok Sabha Speaker, with the party urging him to guard against any unlawful defection and issuing a whip directing its MPs to attend a meeting in Delhi on Thursday. Amid the escalating crisis, a group of rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders is learnt to have met Speaker Om Birla informally on Wednesday, claiming the support of six of the party's nine MPs in the Lower House, sources said. Thursday's high-stakes meeting in Delhi will legally and physically define whether Uddhav Thackeray retains his parliamentary strength or faces another devastating party division, the third since Raj Thackeray split Shiv Sena in 2006. Sources in Sena (UBT) said the rival camp still doesn't have the support of six MPs. They claim two of the six rebels have reportedly changed their mind. In a swift counter-offensive to contain the damage, the party high command issued a mandatory three-line whip, summoning an emergency parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi on Thursday to force a physical showdown where the MPs will have to mark their presence physically. The developments triggered a day of high political drama in the national capital, marked by a furious, expletive-laden press conference by Raut, a reported counter-meeting by the rebel faction with Lok Sabha Speaker Birla, and sharp condemnation from the Congress. The internal fracture was visible at Sanjay Raut's press briefing, where only three other Lok Sabha MPs, Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, and Rajabhau Waje, stood by him. The remaining six lawmakers were conspicuously absent; their exact whereabouts are unknown. The Sena (UBT) has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha, and at least two‑thirds of them would be required to form a separate group. Apart from Desai, Waje and Sawant, the other six MPs are Sanjay Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar and Sanjay Jadhav Not Reachable The six MPs stopped responding or became unavailable since Wednesday forenoon, after which the party stopped contacting them. They said when the party contacted Mumbai North East MP, Sanjay Dina Patil, he told party leaders that he was not with the rebel group. The party had asked them to submit a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, which he has not submitted so far. Later in the day, sources claimed that the group of six rebel lawmakers had privately met the Lok Sabha Speaker to claim a two-thirds majority in the Lower House, the precise threshold required to escape disqualification under the anti-defection law. Simultaneously, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who split the undivided Shiv Sena in 2022, was reportedly camping in Delhi to oversee the operational layout of the defection of MPs. He returned to his home town Thane in Wednesday night. He is reportedly studying all the legal aspects before taking a final call before the party’s foundation day on Friday. Speaker’s Role Following reports of the rebels' move, a loyalist delegation consisting of Raut, Sawant, and Desai rushed to meet Speaker Birla to file a formal representation urging him to reject any unlawful group alignment. Desai argued that the legal provisions are strictly on the side of the original organisational structure. "Under the law, a splinter group cannot simply merge with another party on its own, even if they have two-thirds support. Only the original administrative party holds that right," Desai told reporters, adding that the Speaker assured them he would thoroughly examine every legal aspect before rendering a decision. The widening panic inside the party also triggered a public, familial disconnect involving missing Hingoli MP Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar. While the MP remained unreachable, his son, Krushna Patil Ashtikar, the MVA's official candidate for Thursday's Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, released a video statement strongly defending Uddhav Thackeray. "I am a Shiv Sainik of Uddhav Thackeray. There is no room for doubt when it comes to me," the younger Ashtikar stated.

SS (UBT)’s inbox and outbox

Quaid Najmi
2 hours ago
6 min read

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (UBT) is currently experiencing a second political earthquake in three years with an erosion of its base and a crisis of credibility, with a question mark over its future. A brief profile of the MPs in the current turmoil and those who remain loyal to ex-CM and party Chief Uddhav Thackeray.

SS (UBT)’s nine Lok Sabha MPs elected in 2024:

Anil Desai (Mumbai South Central), Arvind Sawant (Mumbai South), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Omprakash Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Rajabhau Waze (Nashik), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East)

The ‘Dirty Half-Dozen’

Sanjay Dina-Patil: A two-time MP and seasoned Mumbai politician, Sanjay Dina Patil (57) is known for strong grassroots connect in eastern suburbs. His electoral journey started with the (undivided) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) when he won the Bhandup Assembly seat in 2004. He entered Lok Sabha in 2009 defeating Bharatiya Janata Party’s sitting MP, Kirit Somaiya (Mumbai North-East). In 2019, he joined the (undivided) Shiv Sena and remained loyal to Uddhav Thackeray even after the June 2022 split. He was re-elected in 2024, trouncing BJP’s Mihir Kotecha. Hailing from a political family, his father Dina Bama-Patil was a trade unionist and MLA, while his mother Manorama Patil served nine-terms as a BMC Municipal Corporator.

Sanjay Jadhav: Among one of Marathwada’s most experienced grassroots Shiv Sena leaders, Sanjay “Bandu” Jadhav is a two-term MLA and three-time MP from Parbhani. He came to prominence during Balasaheb Thackeray’s era, built a strong base in state politics before aspiring for a national role. He bagged Parbhani Lok Sabha seat in 2014, 2019 and 2024, but remained loyal to Shiv Sena (UBT) after the June 2022 split. His absence from certain key party meetings in recent times had fuelled speculation about his political plans, worrying the party top brass as Parbhani remained one of its strongest bastions in Marathwada for decades.

Sanjay Deshmukh: Vidarbha veteran politician Sanjay “Sanjubhau” Deshmukh boasts of a long and varied political career of over three decades, serving the party as its Yavatmal district President. However, he contested and won the Digras Assembly seat as an Independent in 1999 and 2004. He served as a Minister of State in the erstwhile Congress-NCP Democratic Front governments headed by Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushilkumar Shinde. But after the 2022 Shiv Sena split, he returned to the Uddhav Thackeray faction that hugely boosted the party’s prospects in Vidarbha. Proving soothsayers right, he bagged the Yavatmal-Washim parliament seat as a SS (UBT) candidate, defeating Shiv Sena candidate Rajshri Patil in 2024.

Nagesh Patil Ashtikar: A Marathwada strongman with strong roots in the cooperative sector, Nagesh Bapurao Patil-Ashtikar first entered the Maharashtra Assembly in 2014, winning the Hadgaon seat in Nanded district as a (undivided) Shiv Sena candidate. Though he failed to repeat in the 2019 Assembly election, he remained at the forefront and contested Hingoli as a SS (UBT) candidate in 2024, trouncing Shiv Sena’s Baburao Kadam.

Bhausaheb Wakchaure: Bhausaheb Wakchaure, who represents the reserved Shirdi Lok Sabha constituency, is a familiar political figure in Ahilyanagar district and first entered Parliament in 2009 as a Shiv Sena candidate, defeating RPI(A) strongman Ramdas Athawale. Just before the 2014 elections, he switched to the Congress but lost the polls. A decade later in 2024, Wakchaure staged a smashing return as a SS (UBT) candidate, vanquishing MP Sadashiv Lokhande of Shiv Sena, to emerge as a key political player in the region.

Omprakash “Om Raje” Nimbalkar: One of the younger faces in state politics, Omprakash Bhupalsinh alias Omraje Nimbalkar, 42, first won the Osmanabad Assembly seat in 2009 before spreading his wings in national politics. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, he defeated Ranajagjitsinh Padamsinh Patil and remained with Uddhav Thackeray after the 2022 Shiv Sena split. He was re-elected from Osmanabad in 2024, crushing Archana Ranajagjitsinh Patil. As admitted by him, Nimbalkar’s political career has been shaped by a long-standing family feud - his father, Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar, was murdered in 2006. The sensational case led to the arrest of former minister Padamsinh Patil, a powerful relative and the murder trial verdict is awaited this weekend.

Left-over Loyalists

Arvind Sawant: Hailing from a middle-class family the now dapper Arvind Sawant joined student politics in 1968, then worked with the MTNL as an engineer and in 1995, he took VRS to join the (undivided) Shiv Sena. He was elected as MLC twice but lost in the third attempt and was fielded in the 2014 Lok Sabha from the prestigious Mumbai South when he defeated Milind M. Deora – ex-Congress central minister and currently a Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP – and later Yamini Jadhav of Shiv Sena in 2024.

He served briefly as a Union Minister under PM Narendra Modi before quitting to throw his lot with the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) formed after the 2024 Assembly elections. An educated face of the party, close to the Thackeray family and his proficiency in multiple languages, he served as the party Spokesperson.

Anil Desai: A low-profile long-time busy backroom boy of the (undivided) Shiv Sena and later, the SS (UBT) the sophisticated and soft-spoken Anil Desai is regarded as a close Thackeray family advisor, for his strategies, expertise in managing elections, legal matters and as a behind-the-curtains tactician. His prowess in managing the party’s resources and coining slogans like ‘UTha Maharashtra’ (Wake up, Maharashtra), he was rewarded with two terms in Rajya Sabha (2012-2018), and later given a Lok Sabha ticket in 2024 when he defeated Shiv Sena’s Rahul Shewale.

Rajabhau Waje: Hailing from an illustrious political family, Rajabhau Waje’s grandfather, Shankar Balaji Waje was a MLA (1962) from Sinnar, his grandmother Mathurabai Waje was the first woman Mayor of Sinnar Nagar Parishad in 1953, who later quit to plunge into the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement when she was jailed. Rajabhau Waje, active among the farmers, was elected as MLA in 2014 but lost the seat in 2019. In 2024, he was given a ticket by Shiv Sena (UBT) from Nashik in which he defeated Shiv Sena’s strongman Hemant Godse.

Raut alleges MPs are being offered Rs 50 crore to defect

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday alleged that some MPs from Maharashtra were being offered Rs 50 crore to switch sides, and challenged dissidents to quit.

Holding a press conference in New Delhi, Raut said the people of Maharashtra and Shiv Sena (UBT) workers would not remain quiet if there was another split in the Uddhav Thackeray-led party which saw a major rebellion led by Eknath Shinde in 2022.

Even as Raut adopted an aggressive tone, the fact that only three out of the nine Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha members Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje attended the press conference suggested that the party was facing a grave crisis.

"I was told that the rate is Rs 50 crore, and Rs 15 crore each would be delivered by tonight. They (dissident MPs) were allegedly unwilling to board the aircraft (for Delhi) without receiving the money," he said.

"If parties are being broken in this manner, fighting elections is meaningless," he said.

All Sena (UBT) MPs were elected on the party's "mashal" (torch) symbol under Uddhav Thackeray's leadership, and "nobody has the right to betray that mandate", Raut said.

Warning of a strong response, he said Maharashtra and the Sena (UBT) workers would not remain silent if there was a repeat of the events of 2022 when the undivided Shiv Sena split.

"If anybody wants to leave, they should first resign. They have entered Parliament on our party's ticket," he added.

During the press conference, Raut also lost his cool and used expletives against rebel MPs twice without naming anyone. He asked the media "not to cut" or mute that part.

Notably, this is not the first time that Raut has used expletives at a press conference or in media interactions. He had asked mediapersons not to cut his expletives or mute them during the broadcast on such occasions.

These MPs were elected because of Uddhav Thackeray and late (Shiv Sena founder) Bal Thackeray, not because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, said Raut.

"We have issued a whip and convened our parliamentary party meeting. We have also written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Buying and breaking elected representatives is against democracy and the Constitution. A legal battle will follow. It is not so easy. Anyone who thinks that a few people can gather and settle matters through money is mistaken," he said.

“The verdict in the 20-year-old murder case of the Om Raje Nimbalkar’s father was earlier scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday. He (Nimbalkar) was allegedly told that if he wanted a favourable verdict in the murder case of his father, he should join their group. If such things are happening, what remains of the (sanctity of) Constitution, the courts and democracy? Tomorrow's parliamentary party meeting will reveal the situation. Everyone has been invited and everyone should attend.”

Sanjay Raut, MP, Shiv Sena (UBT)

“If someone feels he is facing injustice, he can approach the party which has a system to listen to grievances and resolve them. There are people who have become MPs and MLAs multiple times. What more the party should give them? We are standing together and this (split) will not happen among MLAs.”

Rahul Patil, MLA, Shiv Sena (UBT)

“The people had voted against the BJP, but these MPs have disregarded that mandate and gone and sat in the BJP's lap.”

Varsha Gaikwad, President, Mumbai Congress