Shiv Sena MPs Sign Letter to Form Separate Group Amid Alleged Poaching Attempts

MUMBAI: In a twist to "Operation Tiger", only four of the six Lok Sabha MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) have signed the letter, while two are yet to do so. "Operation Tiger" refers to the alleged move by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to poach six Lok Sabha MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). According to highly placed sources, four Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs – Nagesh Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav and Bhausaheb Waghchore – have signed a letter proposed to be submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for the formation of a separate group before its merger with Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. However, Omraje Nimbalkar and Sanjay Dina Patil are yet to sign the letter. Following the development, the Shiv Sena had cancelled its scheduled meeting with the Lok Sabha Speaker on Wednesday. Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Dina Patil said that Sena (UBT) group leader Arvind Sawant had informed him that he was in Mumbai, was not going anywhere, and would continue to remain with Shiv Sena (UBT). Sawant later confirmed the same during a press conference in Delhi. The other Sena MP, Omraje Nimbalkar, who was incommunicado on Wednesday, later spoke with the media, clarifying that he did not go to Delhi and was in Pune. He further said that he would clarify his stand on June 20, 2026. All six MPs, out of the nine, will need to sign the letter to form a separate group and avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.