Uddhav Thackeray’s ‘game’ is over! Speaker approves merger of 6 rebel MPs into Shinde faction

New Delhi/Mumbai: Once again there has been a big earthquake in the politics of Maharashtra. This is no less than a big setback for Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena (UBT). Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has given official approval to the merger of 6 rebel MPs of the Uddhav faction with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. After this decision, the number of MPs of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction in the Lok Sabha has increased from 7 to 13, while only 3 MPs are left in Uddhav Thackeray’s camp.

‘Operation Tiger’ shook Uddhav’s foundation

Last month, there was a major upheaval in Maharashtra politics named ‘Operation Tiger’, in which 6 MPs of Uddhav Thackeray joined his party in the presence of Eknath Shinde. Now after this merger got legal recognition from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, this matter has been completely resolved. The six rebel MPs who have switched sides include Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Nagesh Patil (Hingoli), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East) and Bhausaheb Wakchore (Shirdi).

‘Democracy is weakening’-Anand Dubey’s sharp reaction

Shocked by this decision, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey has raised strong questions on the role of the Lok Sabha Speaker. Dubey said, “We have been fighting ever since our party was broken in 2022, but till date we have not found out what our mistake was. First our party’s name and election symbol were snatched and now in 2026, our 6 MPs have been stolen.”

Dubey further alleged that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla gave this decision without listening to both the parties and listening to them. Expressing grief, he said that the MPs who had won on our name and election symbol, are now being called MPs of Shinde group. Anand Dubey taunted and said that we get date after date from the court, while unilateral decisions are being taken in the Parliament, which is proof that democracy is becoming weak in the country.

What is the political mathematics in Lok Sabha now?

After this merger, the position of Shiv Sena in the Lok Sabha has completely changed. Uddhav Thackeray’s faction now has only three MPs left—Arvind Sawant (Mumbai South), Anil Desai (Mumbai South Central) and Rajbhau Waje (Nashik). On the other hand, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has now emerged stronger than ever. This development is indicating an even bigger conflict in Maharashtra politics in the coming days.