UDDHAV DEMANDS DISQUALIFICATION OF SIX REBEL MPs, CALLS BJP ‘BABUR JANATA PARTY’ OVER TEMPLE SCAM
Sena (UBT) chief takes his fight to Marathwada, labelling the mass defection ‘Operation Devendra’ and accusing the BJP of systematically dismantling Maharashtra’s political identity
NewsArc Bureau | Mumbai, June 29, 2026
Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray has mounted a fierce counter-offensive following the loss of six of his nine Lok Sabha MPs to the Eknath Shinde camp, demanding their disqualification and accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of orchestrating the defections as part of a calculated conspiracy he has named ‘Operation Devendra’.
Addressing rallies in Parbhani and Dharashiv in Marathwada on Sunday — constituencies represented by the rebel MPs — Thackeray said the rule of law demanded accountability. “If there is rule of law in this country, these six MPs should be disqualified. I still believe in the Lok Sabha Speaker because if he does not follow the law, he cannot ask others to follow it. We respect his authority, not his wishes,” he said.
THE DEFECTION AND ITS ARITHMETIC
On June 22, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered a major political blow as six of its rebel Lok Sabha MPs officially jumped ship to join Eknath Shinde’s faction at a joint press conference in Mumbai. The six defecting lawmakers — Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Omraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Haribhai Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, and Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh — represent a two-thirds majority of the UBT parliamentary group, effectively bypassing India’s anti-defection law. The exit reduces Uddhav Thackeray’s Lok Sabha strength to just three MPs.
‘OPERATION DEVENDRA’
Thackeray alleged that the mass defection was not a spontaneous rebellion but a choreographed political move by the BJP’s central leadership. He claimed that the BJP has a pattern of clipping the wings of its own prominent state leaders, citing Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Nitin Gadkari as well as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as examples. He argued that breaking the Shiv Sena was ultimately aimed at preventing Fadnavis from growing powerful enough to aspire to national leadership — a prospect, Thackeray said, that would prove yet another setback for Maharashtra.
‘BABUR JANATA PARTY’
Thackeray sharpened his attack on the BJP over the reported theft of offerings at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, deploying the most incendiary rhetoric of his Marathwada tour. “Babur demolished the Ram Mandir. Now the Babur Janata Party is looting the newly built Ram Mandir. What is the difference between the two?” he said, accusing the party of betraying the Hindutva ideology it had championed for decades. He also alleged that the BJP seeks to erase Marathi identity, dismantle the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and shift economic and political power to Gujarat.
PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE AT RISK
The Sena (UBT)’s Marathwada rallies drew several senior party leaders, including MLA Aaditya Thackeray and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut. The party now also faces a practical blow at Parliament: with its Lok Sabha headcount falling below five, it stands to lose its allocated office in the Parliament complex under Lok Sabha rules governing party recognition.
Shinde’s faction, meanwhile, celebrated the development, with the deputy chief minister declaring the operation a complete success.
