- 'Operation Tiger' is a political move by Eknath Shinde to defect Uddhav Thackeray's MPs to his side
- Six of nine Uddhav Sena MPs recently joined Shinde's faction, marking a major coup in the operation
- 'Operation Tiger' has been active quietly in Maharashtra since late 2025 before recent public defections
'Operation Tiger' is the political buzz word of the week. Eknath Shinde camp's move to execute defections in the Uddhav Thackeray and wean over MPs to its side has been called 'Operation Tiger'.
Before landing the big fish, Eknath Shinde has been catching small fry away from the media glare for months.
The most dramatic act of this political opera came when six of nine Uddhav Sena MPs rebelled and joined the Shinde Sena. High on optics, it wasn't the opening act of 'Operation Tiger' - and, political watchers say, it won't be the last. Shinde's 'Operation Tiger' had been unfolding quietly in Maharashtra for months before it hit Delhi with the MPs' defections.
The six Mps from Uddhav Sena who have defected are Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North-East), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli) and Bhausaheb Vakchaure (Shirdi). While they make for the biggest catch for the Sinde faction since the 2022 rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray, there has been a steady inflow of leaders into the Shinde's party from various parties at least since November last year.
Read | A Tale Of Two Tigers On Shiv Sena's Foundation Day
The 'Operation Tiger' Report Card
June 7, 2026: Congress leader Sahebrao Kamble from Yavatmal joined Shinde's party. He was expelled by Congress after withdrawing his nomination for the Legislative Council elections.
June 4, 2026: Prominent faces from Dombivli - former corporators Shailesh Dhatrak, Manisha Dhatrak, Shrikar Chaudhary, and Pramila Chaudhary - joined Shiv Sena. All four were previously in the BJP.
May 30, 2026: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Manohar Chandrikapure from Gondia district joined Shinde's Shiv Sena.
May 28, 2026: Former MLA Vinayak Patil from Ahmedpur in Latur district joined Shinde with 25,000 workers. Before joining the Shinde Sena, he was in the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).
May 14, 2026: NCP Ajit faction spokesperson Anand Paranjape joined Shinde's Shiv Sena. He started his political career with the Shiv Sena. In 2012, he joined Sharad Pawar-led NCP. Later, when the NCP split, he went with Ajit Pawar's faction.
April 30, 2026: Prahar Janshakti Party leader and former minister Bachchu Kadu joined Shiv Sena.
April 23, 2026: Dhule's first Shiv Sena mayor and Thackeray faction leader Bhagwan Karankal joined Shiv Sena.
April 12, 2026: Pandharpur's Municipal President Pranika Bhalke joined Shinde.
March 6, 2026: Former MP and Thackeray faction leader Unmesh Patil from Jalgaon joined Shiv Sena.
Read | After Parliament, Will Team Uddhav See Defections In Mumbai Civic Body?
February 16, 2026: Former MLA and farmer leader Shankar Dhondge from Nanded joined. Before joining Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), he was in former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
January 11, 2026: Veteran UBT Sena Shiv Sainik from Shivdi, Dagdu Sakpal, joined Shinde Sena.
January 18, 2026: Former MLA from Beed district's Kej constituency, Sangeeta Thomabre, joined Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) in Mumbai in the presence of Eknath Shinde. Before joining the Shinde faction, she was in the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction), where she served as State Vice President.
March 10, 2025: Former Congress MLA and Pune's Kasba Peth leader Ravindra Dhangekar left Congress and joined Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena (Shinde faction). Dhangekar had won the Kasba Peth seat in the March 2023 by-election, ending the BJP's 28-year dominance in the area. He also contested the Pune Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket in 2024.
December 24, 2025: MNS district president from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sumit Khambekar, joined Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) in the presence of Eknath Shinde. Earlier, he served as district president in the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
December 16, 2025: Key Thackeray faction leader in Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation and former corporator, Manohar Madhvi, officially joined Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena.
November 11, 2025: Former MLA from Udgir, Sudhakar Bhalerao, joined Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) in the presence of Eknath Shinde. Before joining Shiv Sena, he was in NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) during the 2024 assembly elections and was elected MLA on a BJP ticket in 2009 and 2014.
