Four years after the rebellion led by Eknath Shinde brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena founded by Bal Thackeray is staring at another major rupture.
The latest crisis centres on six of the nine Lok Sabha MPs belonging to Shiv Sena (UBT), who have reportedly approached the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking recognition as a separate group. The move could eventually pave the way for their merger with the Shinde-led Sena, which is part of the BJP-led NDA.
The development comes almost exactly four years after June 20, 2022, when Shinde began his revolt by moving a group of Shiv Sena MLAs out of Maharashtra before eventually toppling Uddhav Thackeray's government.
Six MPs at the centre of the rebellion
The MPs reportedly involved in the move are Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Sanjay Dina Patil and Omraje Nimbalkar. They were absent from both a parliamentary party meeting and the party's 60th foundation day event this week, per a report by Hindustan Times.
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Meanwhile, Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, Rajabhau Waje and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut have remained publicly aligned with Uddhav Thackeray.
Reports cited by HT suggest Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his son, MP Shrikant Shinde, were in touch with the rebel MPs and helped coordinate discussions in Delhi.
Uddhav rejects merger fears
Responding to the crisis, Uddhav Thackeray dismissed suggestions that Shiv Sena (UBT) could merge with Congress.
“ It was created to fight for the rights of Marathi people and protect Hindutva," he told party workers while asserting that the Sena was never formed to merge with another party, per HT.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, he added, "I fear the Maharashtra BJP might merge with the Shinde Sena."
Sanjay Raut also defended the party's position, arguing that anti-defection provisions require a merger involving two-thirds of the party itself, not merely its MPs or MLAs. He described the rebel MPs as “traitors”.
Anti-defection law in focus
The rebellion has brought renewed attention to the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, commonly known as the anti-defection law.
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With six out of nine MPs reportedly backing the move, the group meets the two-thirds threshold often cited as protection against disqualification. However, a legal question remains unresolved: whether two-thirds of a legislative wing is sufficient for a valid merger or whether two-thirds of the entire political party must support it.
The Supreme Court is expected to address a similar issue in a separate case from Goa.
A slow decline since 2022
The current crisis marks the latest chapter in a gradual erosion of Uddhav Thackeray's political organisation.
In 2022, 40 of the Shiv Sena's 56 MLAs sided with Shinde. The Election Commission later awarded the original party name and bow-and-arrow symbol to the Shinde faction, forcing Uddhav's camp to contest as Shiv Sena (UBT) with a new symbol.
Although the party won nine Lok Sabha seats in 2024, its performance in the Maharashtra Assembly elections later that year was weaker. The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance also went on to win the BMC elections in January 2026, ending the Thackeray family's long-standing control of Mumbai's civic body.
The latest rebellion now threatens to further weaken Uddhav Thackeray's hold over the party, making it the second major split within the Shiv Sena in just four years.
FAQs:
Why are six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs in the news?
They have reportedly approached the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking recognition as a separate group.
How is this linked to the 2022 Eknath Shinde rebellion?
The development comes four years after Shinde's revolt split the Shiv Sena and brought down the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.
