Claim: 14 MLAs of Shiv Sena Thackeray faction in touch with Ekanath: Shiv Sena leader - Operation Tiger-4 soon; 6 of Uddhav's MPs joined Shinde group

Discussions of party split have once again intensified in Maharashtra politics. Shiv Sena Shinde faction MLA Murji Patel has claimed that Operation Tiger-4 is going to take place in the state in the coming days. Patel says that about 14 MLAs of the Shiv Sena Thackeray faction are in touch with Eknath Shinde. Six of the total 9 MPs of Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena left the party and joined Deputy CM Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. The number of Shinde MPs in the Lok Sabha has now increased from 7 to 13. However, no official announcement has been made yet regarding the 14 MLAs. According to Murji Patel's claim, after the MPs of the Thackeray faction, now the MLAs and then the corporators can also join the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The figure of 14 is considered very important in this entire discussion. The Thackeray faction has 20 MLAs in the Assembly. According to the law, if two-thirds of these MLAs defect together, then a different legal and political situation can arise under the anti-defection law. According to sources, it is also being claimed that some MLAs have met Eknath Shinde at a private place. Apart from this, the absence of 37 out of 60 MLAs in the current meeting of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has also fuelled political speculation. Shinde said - now we have hit six. In Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, all the six MPs, including Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, held a press conference in Mumbai and announced it. "In 2022, when we rebelled to save the party and the bow and arrow, there were 40 MLAs and now we have hit six," he said. "Our fight is to save Balasaheb's ideas, that is why today these 6 MPs joined Balasaheb's real Shiv Sena," he said. Shinde faction's Lok Sabha seats increase from 7 to 13 MPs. Out of the total 288 seats in the 2024 assembly polls, the BJP, Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Mahayuti alliance got 235 seats. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 50 seats. Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) was reduced to just 20 seats. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the opposition INDIA alliance (Maha Vikas Aghadi) took the lead in Maharashtra with 48 seats and won 30 seats, of which Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena got 9 seats. The NDA (Mahayuti) won 17 seats. Chhagan Bhujbal rebelled in Shiv Sena 35 years ago The first rebellion in the Shiv Sena under the leadership of Balasaheb Thackeray took place in 1991. Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal joined the Congress with 14 MLAs. In 1999, when Sharad Pawar parted ways with the Congress, Chhagan also went with him. Pawar formed the NCP. When the NCP split in 2023, he came with the Ajit Pawar faction.