A fresh political storm has hit Maharashtra after Aaditya Thackeray accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to break his party to gather numbers in Parliament and push constitutional amendments.
His remarks came amid reports that six out of nine Lok Sabha MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT) are preparing to join the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Aaditya Thackeray Links Defections to Constitution Change
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Aaditya Thackeray alleged that the BJP was attempting to weaken opposition parties after failing to secure a clear majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“Today they are breaking our MPs and MLAs as they are willing to change the Constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Voters stopped them in 2024 when they got only 240 MPs, but now they are trying again by breaking parties,” he said.
He claimed that the BJP’s main goal was to gain enough strength in Parliament to amend the Constitution.
Six MPs Reportedly Set to Join Shinde Camp
Speculation over a new split in Shiv Sena (UBT) has intensified after six MPs stayed away from a parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi.
Only three MPs—Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje—attended the meeting.
The absent MPs include Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar and Bhausaheb Wakchaure. Reports suggest at least two of them have already confirmed their split.
The operation is being referred to as “Operation Tiger” in political circles.
‘Betrayal of People’s Mandate’
Aaditya Thackeray said the rebel MPs won their seats because of the support of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance and are now betraying the people.
“All these people were elected on Shiv Sena (UBT) with the help of MVA allies, and now they are switching sides against the people’s mandate,” he said.
He argued that voters in those constituencies had rejected the NDA’s ideology.
Sanjay Raut Calls Rebels ‘Traitors’
Sanjay Raut also launched a strong attack on the rebel MPs, calling them “traitors.”
Raut said the party had already started the process to seek their disqualification.
He accused the defectors of weakening Maharashtra’s political identity and abandoning the party’s original ideology.
Uddhav Thackeray to Launch Statewide Campaign
In response to the growing crisis, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is set to begin a statewide outreach campaign from June 27.
The campaign will start in Yavatmal and continue through several districts, including Washim, Hingoli, Parbhani, Dharashiv and Shirdi.
Party leaders say the aim is to reconnect with workers and strengthen support in areas represented by rebel MPs.
