Photos Emerge of Rebel Shiv Sena UBT MPs' 'Secret' Meeting With Lok Sabha Speaker Ahead of Defection
Ntt Desk
Photographs have surfaced of the closed-door meeting between six then-Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MPs and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Delhi, shedding fresh light on the events that preceded their dramatic defection to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena last month.
The images, which have now come into the public domain, show the rebel parliamentarians meeting the Speaker at his official residence in the presence of Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde and Maharashtra Minister Pratap Sarnaik. The photographs are being viewed as the first visual confirmation of what had until now been described as a discreet political operation.
The defection of the six MPs had revived memories of Maharashtra's 2022 political upheaval, with reports of behind-the-scenes negotiations, missing legislators, allegations of poaching and a carefully planned strategy that insiders referred to as "Operation Tiger"—a codename for persuading leaders from the Uddhav Thackeray camp to join the Shinde faction.
The crossovers dealt a major political blow to Uddhav Thackeray's camp, which had continued to challenge the legitimacy of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
According to reports, the six MPs met Om Birla on 17 June and submitted a letter seeking recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha.
In their communication, the MPs reportedly claimed that they feared Uddhav Thackeray was preparing to merge his faction of the Shiv Sena with the Congress, a move they said they could not support. They also maintained that they had the requisite numerical strength to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
Officials familiar with the developments said the day's events unfolded in a carefully coordinated manner.
One of the rebel MPs, Omraje Nimbalkar, reportedly met the Speaker separately at around 6.30 a.m., signed the necessary defection documents and returned to Maharashtra.
The remaining five MPs: Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar and Bhausaheb Wakchaure, arrived at the Leela Hotel in Delhi at around 7.30 a.m.
Around the same time, Shrikant Shinde and Pratap Sarnaik also reached the hotel through separate routes before the group proceeded to Om Birla's residence at approximately 9.30 a.m.
According to officials, the MPs completed the required formalities at the Speaker's residence by signing the defection papers.
One of the newly surfaced photographs shows the five rebel MPs posing together in the garden of Om Birla's residence shortly after the meeting.
Following the defections, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde declared that "Operation Tiger" had achieved its objective. Welcoming the six MPs into his faction, Shinde described them as grassroots leaders who had chosen what he called the "real" Shiv Sena. "The six tigers are here. They have all now joined the real Shiv Sena family. I welcome them to the real Shiv Sena family."
Drawing a parallel with the 2022 rebellion that split the undivided Shiv Sena, Shinde said the latest defections marked another significant political milestone for his camp. "Four years ago—on June 22, 2022—we staged a rebellion within the Shiv Sena. At that time, we had 40 MLAs with us. And now, we have hit a six—not a four, but a six. This is our sixer."
