Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Uday Samant has hinted that the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s next target will be the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLAs, warning of more political
“explosions” on the horizon. His statement follows a massive political setback for Uddhav Thackeray, after six out of nine Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs defected and formally merged with the ruling Shinde-led faction in Mumbai.
The political realignment
The six rebel Lok Sabha MPs who crossed over to the Shinde camp are Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure.
By having six out of their nine total Lok Sabha members break away, the rebel factionsuccessfully met the two-thirds threshold required to escape disqualification under the anti-defection law.
Signalling deeper cracks within the Uddhav camp, four Shiv Sena (UBT) legislators (three MLAs and one MLC) skipped an emergency meeting called by Uddhav Thackeray to address the crisis.
The latest round of defections leaves the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) with just three remaining MPs in the Lok Sabha. Meanwhile, the strength of Eknath Shinde’s faction has climbed to 13, giving it more Lok Sabha seats than its alliance partner, the BJP, from the state of Maharashtra.
#WATCH | Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Uday Samant says, “… Our success lies in the fact that they (6 MPs) were not present in the UBT meeting held yesterday… His (Sanjay Raut) language four years ago was such that if we come from Worli, he will finish us off, such was his… pic.twitter.com/niN7xGr8IH
— ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2026
‘Operation Tiger’ to target BMC, MLAs
Often referred to by party insiders as ‘Operation Tiger’, this concerted push aims to completely absorb the remaining remnants of Thackeray’sfaction.
Minister Samant stated that the next step of the mission would target BMC corporators and state assembly lawmakers, indicating that the transition would be rolled out “step by step, in due course of time”.
Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde echoed these sentiments, terming the massive MP exodus as “just the trailer” for further political shakeups.
BMC, Assembly: Sena UBT’s strength
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) holds 20 seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and 65 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Following the massive defection of six of its Lok Sabha MPs, the party’s current strength across both bodies is being heavily targeted by the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
1. Strength in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (MLAs)
Total Seats: 20 MLAs (out of the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly).
During an emergency crisis meeting called by Uddhav Thackeray at his Matoshree residence, 4 legislators (3 MLAs and 1 MLC) skipped the assembly.
The three MLAs who missed the high-level meeting were Sanjay Derkar (Wani), Rahul Patil (Parbhani), and Sanjay Potnis (Kalina). Party representatives claimed they were away due to pre-scheduled commitments.
2. Strength in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
Total Seats: 65 Corporators (out of 227 total civic wards).
The Shiv Sena (UBT) finished second in the BMC elections, designating them as Mumbai’s official and primary Opposition party. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds the majority control with 89 seats, followed by Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction with 29 seats.
Legislative Council (MLCs) & Parliament Summary
To round out their total legislative presence, the Shiv Sena (UBT) also holds:
Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLCs): 6 seats
Lok Sabha (MPs): 3 seats (down from 9 after the recent 6-MP defection)
Rajya Sabha (MPs): 1 seat
Anti-defection implications
For Eknath Shinde’s factionto legally absorb the UBT MLAs without triggering immediate disqualification under the anti-defection law, they require a two-thirds majority split. Out of the 20 existing UBT MLAs, a minimum of 14 MLAs would need to cross over simultaneously to avoid disqualification.
With agency inputs
