MNS Confirms Uddhav–Raj Unity Amid ‘Operation Tiger’ Buzz

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Bala Nandgaonkar on Sunday said that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray should “indeed come together,” while leaving the decision on political alignment to the party high command.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut after a meeting of MPs of the party called by party chief Uddhav Thackeray at the latter’s residence Matoshree in Mumbai said, “What Operation Tiger are you asking about? We are all tigers. We are going to launch Operation Wolf…We are not going to be scared. All our MPs and Parliamentary Party is intact, united and strong, and it will continue that way.”

This comes amidst speculation over what is being referred to in political circles as an ‘Operation Tiger’ that some MPs could join the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and boost the Shiv Sena’s strength in the Lok Sabha, ahead of the monsoon session.

Shiv Sena (UBT) had seen a split in 2022 with a large section of its MLAs joining hands with BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. NDA returned to power in the Maharashtra polls in 2024. Sena UBT has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha. Under the anti-defection law, at least two-thirds (six out of nine) must break away simultaneously to avoid disqualification.

The meeting at Thackeray’s house today comes in the backdrop of the changing political situation following turmoil in the Trinamool Congress, which suffered a defeat in the assembly polls. Trinamool Congress has seen an internal rift with a large section of its MLAs disagreeing with party chief Mamata Banerjee’s decision on the Leader of Opposition. They have been recognised as “opposition” in the assembly. The party’s parliamentary group is also on the verge of split with a section demanding separate seating arrangement in the Lok Sabha.

Speaking to reporters on the possibility of a political coming together between Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, Nandgaonkar said, “They (Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray) should indeed come together. But I cannot tell you where they should come together. This is a matter of party politics. Party high command decides this…”

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule had on Saturday dismissed the reports around the potential merger of NCP-SP with the Congress, stating that no such proposal has been given or recieved by the party.

“Neither anyone from our party has given any such proposal, nor have we received any such proposal,” she said, speaking with the media here.

She further expressed disappointment over the split in Trinamool Congress, claiming Shiv Sena and NCP were also split in the same way. “The way first Shiv Sena was split, then it was the NCP, the same is happening to the TMC. This is very sad,” she said. (ANI)