Maharashtra: ‘14 Shiv Sena (UBT) MLAs To Join Shinde Faction’
“You will soon see Operation Tiger-4 under the leadership of Eknath Shinde": Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel
MUMBAI: Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel has made a major claim that 14 MLAs from the Shiv Sena (UBT) are set to join Eknath Shinde’s party. His claims have sparked talks of another split in the Uddhav Thackeray-led party in Maharashtra.
Patel has termed this anticipated political development as ‘Operation Tiger-4’ and expressed confidence that it will soon materialize. He said around 14 MLAs from the Shiv Sena (UBT) are in contact with deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
“You will soon see Operation Tiger-4 under the leadership of Eknath Shinde. Fourteen MLAs from Shiv Sena (UBT) will soon join our party,” he said.
The Thackeray faction has 20 MLAs in the Vidhan Sabha. Under the Anti-Defection Law in India, at least two-thirds of a party’s legislators must agree for a party merger to happen without facing disqualification.
The Shiv Sena MLA further added that corporators of Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are also in contact with Shinde. “After MLAs, these corporators will also join Shinde’s faction,” claimed Patel. In the recent municipal elections, the Shiv Sena (UBT) won 65 seats in the 227-member BMC house.
However, senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut dismissed Patel’s claims saying he doesn’t attach much importance to them.
Patel’s claims have come on the backdrop of six of the nine Lok Sabha MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT) recently quitting the party and joining Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. With these defections, Shinde Sena’s number of MPs in the Lok Sabha has now increased from 7 to 13.
Of the 288 seats in Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha, the Mahayuti alliance comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Sunetra Pawar’s NCP won 235 seats. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 50 seats with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) being reduced to just 20 seats.
