Shinde and Fadnavis camps dispute credit for defection of six Shiv Sena UBT MPs

The successful defection of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction has sparked an internal dispute in Maharashtra, with Shinde's camp and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clashing over who deserves credit for the operation. The political fallout indicates that the state's politics in the immediate future will continue to revolve around Fadnavis, Shinde, and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Following the defection, contrasting claims have emerged from both political camps. Sena leaders assert that Shinde and his close aides managed the entire poaching operation independently, without any assistance from the BJP.

However, several BJP leaders insist that such an operation was impossible without the Chief Minister's active support. Close aides of Fadnavis stated that he had to personally intervene to convince two reluctant Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs to cross over. According to these aides, it was only after Fadnavis's direct intervention that the faction reached the magic number of six MPs required to complete the split.

This credit dispute has now cast doubt on the viability of the next phase of the defection plan, which Sena leaders refer to as "Operation Tiger." This upcoming phase is intended to target Shiv Sena (UBT) MLAs.

Aides to Fadnavis are stressing that any such future attempt will not succeed without the Chief Minister's help. Furthermore, they indicated that Fadnavis is currently not in favor of proceeding with "Operation Tiger," considering the negative public reaction to the defection of the six MPs.

Meanwhile, political circles were abuzz on Friday evening after Fadnavis and Thackeray traveled together on the same plane to Nagpur. While both camps described the shared flight as a mere coincidence, leaders from the Shiv Sena quickly dismissed speculation of a potential Fadnavis-Thackeray alliance against Shinde.

Thackeray has also targeted the alliance in his public rallies, labeling "Operation Tiger" as "Operation Devendra." He has raised questions over whether Shinde will receive the chief ministership as a "return gift" from the BJP for bringing the six MPs into the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).