Maharashtra’s Biggest Political Storm Since 2022? Why ‘Operation Tiger’ Has Put Uddhav Thackeray On Edge

June 17, 2026

Four years ago, a group of Shiv Sena MLAs quietly left Maharashtra, switched hotels, stopped taking calls, and eventually brought down a sitting Chief Minister.

Today, the scenes look strikingly familiar.

Different routes. Different flights. Silent phones. Missing leaders. And once again, Uddhav Thackeray finds himself battling rumours of rebellion from within his own party.

The question now is simple: Is Maharashtra heading towards its biggest political storm since the Eknath Shinde revolt of 2022?

The Crisis Begins In Delhi

What started as a series of seemingly routine journeys has now snowballed into a major political controversy.

According to reports, six of the nine Lok Sabha MPs of Shiv Sena (UBT) have rebelled and are seeking to merge with the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde.

Sources claim that the rebel MPs sent a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting recognition of a merger with the Shinde faction.

The developments immediately triggered alarm within the Uddhav Thackeray camp. The reason is simple. This is exactly how the 2022 rebellion unfolded — with leaders becoming difficult to contact, rumours gathering pace and the party leadership struggling to understand the scale of the challenge.

Why This Feels Like 2022 All Over Again

The similarities are difficult to ignore.

In June 2022, Eknath Shinde led a rebellion involving 39 Shiv Sena MLAs. The revolt eventually toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and ended Uddhav Thackeray’s tenure as Chief Minister.

The battle then moved to the courts, the Election Commission and the Assembly Speaker. Eventually, the Shinde camp secured control of the Shiv Sena name, the bow-and-arrow symbol and recognition as the real Shiv Sena.

For Uddhav Thackeray, it was not just a political defeat. It was a fight for political survival.

Now, four years later, another rebellion appears to be unfolding. The battleground this time is not the Maharashtra Assembly. It is Parliament.

The Numbers May Be Smaller, But The Message Is Bigger

This crisis is not really about six MPs.

It is about political perception.

After losing the original Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray spent years rebuilding his organisation and political identity. Strong performances in recent elections helped create the impression that he had survived the 2022 shock and remained a major force in Maharashtra politics.

A fresh split would challenge that narrative.

If MPs elected under Uddhav’s leadership begin crossing over, it strengthens the argument of his rivals that support within his camp continues to erode.

Sanjay Raut’s Explosive Claims

The political temperature rose sharply when Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut addressed a press conference in Delhi.

Raut alleged that rebel MPs were offered ₹50 crore each to switch sides. According to him, ₹15 crore had already been delivered as an advance payment and the MPs were flown to Delhi in three chartered aircraft.

Raut challenged the MPs to publicly deny the allegations if they were untrue.

What also caught attention was who stood beside him.

Only three of the party’s nine Lok Sabha MPs — Anil Desai, Arvind Sawant and Rajabhau Vaze — attended the press conference. Their presence was meant to signal loyalty to Uddhav Thackeray, but their small number only intensified speculation about the remaining MPs.

No evidence has been publicly presented to support the allegations, and there has been no official confirmation of the claims.

Uddhav’s Fight For Survival                            

The Uddhav camp is now in full damage-control mode.

A parliamentary committee meeting has been called in Delhi on June 18, and the party has reportedly issued a whip directing all MPs to attend.

The leadership is trying to establish who remains loyal and who may have crossed over.

At the same time, UBT leaders have approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him not to recognise any breakaway faction. The Speaker has now become a central figure in this unfolding political drama.

Why ‘Operation Tiger’ Matters

The developments are being described as “Operation Tiger.”

The name is symbolic. The tiger was one of the most recognisable symbols associated with Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena.

Today, the phrase is being used to describe what many in the Uddhav camp see as an attempt to engineer another split.

The Big Question

Is this merely a rebellion by a handful of MPs?

Or is it the beginning of another political realignment in Maharashtra?

Four years ago, many dismissed the first signs of the Shinde rebellion as routine political movement. Within days, it changed the course of Maharashtra politics.

That is precisely why Uddhav Thackeray is worried today.

Because the chartered flights, the missing leaders, the whispers of defection and the battle for numbers all carry echoes of 2022.

And if those echoes turn into reality, Maharashtra could be on the verge of witnessing its biggest political storm in four years.