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India politics: Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena faces fresh split as 6 MPs seek separate group
There has been speculation over the past few weeks of the BJP and Shinde trying to lure the six MPs to boost the strength of the National Democratic Alliance in the Lok Sabha to 362 members
- PUBLISHED: Wed 17 Jun 2026, 6:53 PM
Maharashtra’s once dominant party, the Uddhav Thackeray led-Shiv Sena (UBT), is again facing a possible split, as six of its members of parliament (MPs) from the state have written to the speaker of the lower house of Indian parliament (Lok Sabha), seeking the formation of a separate group.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has nine MPs, and with six separating from it, they will not be disqualified from the house under the Anti-Defection Law, as they meet the two-thirds threshold.
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The six rebels are expected to join the Eknath-Shinde led Shiv Sena, which is part of the BJP-led coalition government in Maharashtra. Worried about the split, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has issued a ‘whip’ (a written directive), instructing all nine members to attend a meet in Delhi on Thursday.
Uddhav Thackeray, who has been lying low over the past few weeks, is likely to be in Delhi to meet the rebels.
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There has been speculation over the past few weeks of the BJP and Shinde trying to lure the six MPs. The BJP is keen to boost the strength of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a group comprising the party and its allies, in the Lok Sabha to 362 members, ensuring it has a two-thirds majority in parliament, enabling it to pass some constitutional amendments.
The NDA has 293 seats in the 543-seat Lok Sabha, but needs the backing of 362 MPs to ensure two-thirds majority.
With 20 former Trinamool Congress MPs forming a separate group and likely to extend support to the NDA, its strength will go up to 312. The six Sena MPs will improve its numbers further. But it would still need the support of another 45 MPs.
The NDA is keen to pass constitutional amendment bills including the Women’s Reservation Act linked to delimitation and the Uniform Civil Code.
Political observers note that June has been a critical month for the BJP in Maharashtra. In June 2022, Eknath Shinde split the Shiv Sena and joined hands with the BJP, to form a government. A year later, the late Ajit Pawar, split the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and partnered with the NDA, boosting its strength in Maharashtra.
On Wednesday, Sanjay Raut, a close aide of Uddhav Thackeray, accused the BJP and Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena, had flown some MPs from Nanded to Delhi as part of its ‘Operation Tiger’ to split the Shiv Sena (UBT). He accused the BJP of offering hefty sums to the rebels, encouraging them to split the party.
