NEW DELHI — In a major development detailing the recent defection within the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) camp, secret visual evidence and timelines have emerged outlining how six Lok Sabha MPs executed their crossover to the Eknath Shinde faction under ‘Operation Tiger’.
The surfaced photographs document the June 17 early-morning maneuvers in the national capital, where the rebel lawmakers bypassed the anti-defection law by building a two-thirds majority before formally claiming status as the “real” Shiv Sena group in the Lower House.
Timeline of the Early-Morning Defection Grid
The logistical execution of the crossover was coordinated through distinct channels to avoid media exposure in Delhi, unfolding across a tight three-hour window on June 17:
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06:30 AM | First Filing: MP Omraje Nimbalkar arrived ahead of the group at Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s official Delhi residence, signed the formal defection papers, and immediately departed for Maharashtra.
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07:30 AM | The Hotel Assembly: The remaining five MPs—Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure—reached The Leela Hotel in Delhi. Simultaneously, Shinde faction strategist MP Shrikant Shinde and Minister Pratap Sarnaik arrived at the venue using separate transit routes.
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09:30 AM | Final Execution: The entire contingent moved from the hotel to the Speaker’s residence. The five lawmakers signed the separate recognition documents and were photographed posing in the Speaker’s garden, cementing the structural split.
The Justification and ‘Operation Tiger’ Finalization
In the official representations submitted to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the breakaway faction justified the split by claiming that the senior leadership of Team Uddhav was moving toward a formal merger with the Indian National Congress—a political trajectory they declared ideologically unacceptable to the original foundations of the Shiv Sena.
Following the emergence of the meeting details, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde declared ‘Operation Tiger’ a complete success. Drawing a parallel to his initial 2022 legislative rebellion involving 40 MLAs, Shinde characterized the exit of the six Lok Sabha members as a definitive “sixer” that permanently shifts the balance of parliamentary power and legacy claims in the state.
