Dissident Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar on Sunday joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, as party chief Uddhav Thackeray branded the rebel MPs "traitors" and launched an outreach drive to contain the deepening crisis in his camp.
“This huge crowd shows that party workers are determined to fight and angry over traitors," Thackeray said on Sunday. "Shiv Sena’s politically legacy was built around protecting the rights of Marathi people and there could be only one Shiv Sena. In 2024 we fought against Prime Minister Narendra Modi led alliance and still won with peoples support. Now by detecting for power and money these MPs betrayed party and people," he said.
Nimbalkar is the latest Lok Sabha member from the Uddhav Thackeray camp to switch sides amid the growing rebellion within the party, PTI reported.
Crises at Shiv Sena (UBT) camp
His crossover comes shortly after Hingoli MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar confirmed his move to the ruling Shiv Sena faction, citing a lack of development funds and remarks made against dissident MPs as key reasons behind the decision, HT reported earlier.
The rebellion has been building over the past week, with six Sena (UBT) MPs - Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar and Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar - skipping the party's parliamentary meeting in Delhi on June 17. This led to speculation that they were preparing to switch allegiance to the Shinde camp.
The dissident MPs remained non-committal until June 18, but the political situation escalated after sharp remarks were made against them by Sena (UBT) leaders. Ashtikar earlier said that comments directed at the rebel MPs convinced them that there was "no point" in remaining in the party, as per PTI.
The numbers game
Nimbalkar's decision strengthens the Shinde-led Shiv Sena's position. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party currently has nine Lok Sabha members. Under anti-defection provisions, at least six MPs would need to move together to avoid disqualification.
Earlier, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut launched sharp attacks on the dissidents and warned of consequences for those leaving the party.
Uddhav Thackeray tours constituencies
Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday kicked off a tour of constituencies represented by the six dissident Lok Sabha MPs who were expected to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. He sought to reassure party workers amid the deepening crisis within the organisation.
Thackeray began the outreach from Mumbai North East, the constituency represented by MP Sanjay Dina Patil. Earlier in the day, Patil's daughter Rajul Patil, a former BMC corporator, met Thackeray at Matoshree and clarified that she would remain with Shiv Sena (UBT) despite her father's decision to part ways with the party.
Later in the evening, Thackeray, accompanied by senior leaders including Sanjay Raut, toured parts of the Mumbai North East Lok Sabha constituency.
Nimbalkar's announcement came on a day when leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance openly suggested that more defections could be on the way. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said the much-discussed "Operation Tiger" had achieved its objective, while Eknath Shinde hinted that further political developments were likely.
(With inputs from Saurabha Kulshreshtha)