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Operation Tiger: A Midnight Exodus to Delhi
The recent political maneuvering that unfolded in Mumbai has its roots in a year-and-a-half of strategic preparation. Officially launched on Monday, six MPs aligned themselves with the Shinde Sena, marking a significant shift amid discontent within the Shiv Sena (UBT) following its performance in the November 2024 assembly elections. A leader from the Shinde faction revealed,
“For quite some time now, we have been trying to get these MPs on board as we were aware that they are unhappy.”
As the Shiv Sena (UBT) previously boasted nine MPs, the departure of six—representing two-thirds—was crucial to avoid disqualification under anti-defection laws. Nagesh Patil Ashtikar of Hingoli was among the first to switch allegiance, playing a vital role in persuading three other MPs: Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Waghchowre, and Sanjay Deshmukh. However, Omraje Nimbalkar and Sanjay Dina Patil, seen as loyalists to Uddhav Thackeray, remained steadfast in their refusal to defect.
The catalyst for this sudden move, dubbed Operation Tiger, was the recent defection of TMC MPs, which prompted a swift escalation of events. Ramdas Kadam, a prominent figure within the Shinde faction, boasted,
“Operation Tiger is 100 percent successful and this won’t be limited to MPs only. Just wait and watch what happens ahead.”This sentiment was echoed as whispers of potential defections among Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs grew louder.
On June 14, Uddhav Thackeray convened a meeting of all nine MPs at his residence, Matoshree, but only one, Sanjay Dina Patil, attended in person. During this tense gathering, several MPs, including Waghchowre, made fervent oaths of loyalty, but as Sanjay Raut remarked,
“They all turned out to be liars.”
Days later, the operation reached its climax. A series of chartered flights whisked the MPs away to Delhi under the cover of darkness. Nagesh Patil Ashtikar led the charge, arriving around 1:30 am, followed by Jadhav and Deshmukh shortly after. Waghchowre made his way via Hyderabad, while Patil and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde took separate routes, the latter stopping in Jaipur to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla before landing in Delhi around 3 am. Nimbalkar was the last to touch down, arriving at 4:30 am from Pune.
On the morning of June 17, Nimbalkar met with Om Birla and Shinde’s son, MP Shrikant Shinde, who is credited with orchestrating this political operation. Their meetings, however, did not yield any public confirmation from Birla regarding the purported letters of support from the MPs. Following their arrival, the MPs took residence in a high-end hotel in Noida before dispersing to various religious sites, with Ashtikar visiting Tirupati and Waghchowre heading to Varanasi.
Complicating matters, a special CBI court acquitted all suspects in the 2006 murder case of Nimbalkar's father, a prominent Congress leader. A Shiv Sena leader commented,
“He (Omraje) wanted to take the decision after the verdict of his father’s murder case… Eknath Shinde ji assured him that he and Shiv Sena are with him.”This assurance ultimately influenced Nimbalkar’s decision to align with the Shinde faction.
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