Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Shiv Sena factionalism is now over, there is only one Shiv Sena, and it is led by Eknath Shinde. Speaking at a Thanksgiving rally in Kolhapur, Shah declared, “Earlier we had to refer to it as the Shiv Sena Shinde faction. Now there is no faction. There is only one Shiv Sena.”
The statement comes as Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) is facing a major internal rebellion, with reports of several leaders and MPs considering switching sides.
During his visit to Kolhapur, Amit Shah also offered prayers at the famous Mata Ambabai Temple and laid the foundation stone for its modernisation and beautification.
He highlighted the ongoing redevelopment work at the temple complex, saying it was being carried out by the Maharashtra government.
Shah added that this cultural revival across Maharashtra, including the redevelopment of all Jyotirlingas and Shakti Peeths, is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi.”
On the political front, the crisis in Shiv Sena (UBT) has deepened with what is being called ‘Operation Tiger’, a push that has led to a wave of possible defections.
The party has now issued fresh show-cause notices to its absent Lok Sabha MPs, giving them just 24 hours to explain their absence or face action under the anti-defection law. Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, Anil Desai, has issued formal show-cause notices to the six absent MPs.
The notice carries a strong warning: if they fail to respond in time, the party will treat it as a voluntary resignation from membership and initiate action under the anti-defection law as per the tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
The situation came to a head on Thursday when only three out of nine Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs turned up for a mandatory party meeting in Delhi. The rest stayed away, triggering open tensions within the group.
Out of the nine Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs, only three — Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, and Rajabhau Waje attended the meeting.
The other six, Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure, were conspicuously absent.
In response, the UBT faction hit back quickly. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut announced that show-cause notices had already been served to the six absent MPs, starting the process for their disqualification.
“The process for taking action has begun,” Raut said at a press conference. “We will make every effort to get them disqualified. If the Lok Sabha Speaker follows the rules, the law, and the Supreme Court’s orders, these people will be disqualified.”
The situation has become even more heated after Shiv Sena MLC Chandrakant Raghuvanshi claimed that six UBT MPs have already expressed faith in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and crossed over to his faction.
