Uddhav Thackeray Reaches Nagpur, Fires Warning at BJP and Shinde: “No One Has Ever Won Against Shiv Sena”
Uddhav Thackeray Nagpur visit: The political temperature in Maharashtra is rising fast — and Uddhav Thackeray is refusing to go quietly.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray reached Nagpur (Uddhav Thackeray Nagpur visit) on Friday and is set to tour Yavatmal, Washim, Hingoli and Parbhani over the next two days, following a major political setback for his faction.
This is not a routine tour. This is Uddhav Thackeray fighting back — publicly, on the ground, in the heartland of Vidarbha — at a moment when his party has just suffered one of its worst political blows in recent memory.
What Just Happened: The Operation Tiger Bombshell
To understand why Uddhav is in Nagpur (Uddhav Thackeray Nagpur visit) and what his warning means, you need to know what happened in the days leading up to this.
On June 22, 2026, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered a massive political blow as six of its rebel Lok Sabha MPs officially jumped ship to join Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction during a joint press conference in Mumbai.
The defecting lawmakers represent a crucial two-thirds majority of the original UBT parliamentary group. By hitting this threshold, the rebels effectively bypassed India’s anti-defection law, allowing them to legally merge or claim status as a separate group. This high-profile exit drastically reduced Uddhav Thackeray’s strength in the Lok Sabha down to just three MPs, cementing a major consolidation of power for the Shinde-led Shiv Sena camp.
Eknath Shinde called it “Operation Tiger” and declared it complete and successful, recalling his June 2022 rebel moments that first split the then-undivided Shiv Sena.
The six MPs who crossed over were Yavatmal-Washim MP Sanjay Deshmukh, Hingoli MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Parbhani MP Sanjay Jadhav, Shirdi MP Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Mumbai North East MP Sanjay Dina Patil, and Osmanabad MP Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar.
These are the same constituencies Uddhav is now visiting. That is not a coincidence.
Uddhav’s Response: Take the Fight to the Ground | Uddhav Thackeray Nagpur visit
Rather than retreating after this blow, Uddhav Thackeray chose to hit the road.
Thackeray is set to embark on a Maharashtra-wide outreach campaign as his party grapples with signs of unrest and possible further defections. Through the campaign, he is expected to directly engage with party workers across several constituencies. According to the schedule shared by Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, the campaign began on June 27 with visits to Yavatmal, Washim and Hingoli.
The message is strategic and deliberate — Uddhav is going directly into the home turf of the MPs who betrayed him, to show party workers on the ground that the organisation still stands and that he personally has not abandoned them.
The Flight That Raised a Thousand Questions
Before the tour even began, something unexpected happened at the airport.
In the midst of ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray were spotted traveling together on the same flight from Mumbai to Nagpur on Friday. Witnesses reported that despite their deep political rivalry, both leaders greeted each other amicably and engaged in brief conversation. Several senior leaders from Shiv Sena (UBT) were also on board, including MLA Aaditya Thackeray, Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Raut and Anil Desai, and former MP Vinayak Raut.
While political analysts believe this meeting on the plane was merely coincidental, in the highly unstable world of Maharashtra politics, any face-to-face interaction between Fadnavis and Thackeray could spark intense speculation about potential shifts in political equations.
Two bitter political rivals, sitting on the same aircraft, greeting each other — in any other state, this would be a minor detail. In Maharashtra right now, it became the talk of the political circuit.
Uddhav’s Anger: “They Sold Themselves”
Before launching the outreach tour, Uddhav Thackeray made his feelings about the rebel MPs crystal clear — and he did not mince words.
Attacking the rebel MPs, Thackeray accused them of “selling” themselves. “Despite facing betrayal and MPs being sold, the Shivsainiks are still standing firm. I want to apologise for asking you to vote for the traitor. I had campaigned in all Lok Sabha constituencies. I have given him a ticket. He increased his price by getting elected, and later he sold himself. This trend is dangerous,” he said.
This is Uddhav at his most raw and direct. He is not defending a party position here — he is expressing a personal sense of betrayal and turning it into political fuel.
BJP’s Counter: “There Is Only One Shiv Sena”
The BJP wasted no time in piling on after Operation Tiger.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing a gathering in Maharashtra, said there is no faction left — only one Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde. He added that earlier people had to say “Shiv Sena-Shinde faction” after Eknath Shinde’s name, but now no faction remains anymore.
This is the BJP’s political framing — that Uddhav’s Shiv Sena (UBT) is no longer a meaningful political force, and that the real Shiv Sena now belongs entirely to the Shinde-Fadnavis camp.
Uddhav’s counter to this narrative — through his warning and his statewide tour — is to prove on the ground that there are still hundreds of thousands of Shivsainiks who answer to him, not to Shinde.
Shinde Not Done Yet: “Operation Tiger Is Not Over”
If Uddhav thought the bleeding would stop after the six MPs left, Shinde delivered a cold dose of reality.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated in the assembly during the monsoon session that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena will receive more political shocks shortly.
This incident also follows Eknath Shinde’s recent announcement that “Operation Tiger” is not yet over, hinting at further defections from Shiv Sena (UBT).
The threat of more defections is the single biggest challenge facing Uddhav right now. He currently has only three MPs left in the Lok Sabha. Losing even one more would be devastating to what little parliamentary presence the UBT retains.
Who Is Staying Loyal?
Not everyone in the UBT camp is heading for the exit. There are voices of loyalty as well.
While Sanjay Patil is among the rebels, his daughter Rajool Patil, a core committee member of Yuva Sena, met Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree in Mumbai and reiterated her loyalty to the party. She said, “I had come to Uddhav ji to present my side, and I told him I am with Shiv Sena (UBT).”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai warned that the party would send show cause notices to the six Lok Sabha members who skipped the parliamentary meeting.
The party is simultaneously consolidating its remaining base while trying to draw a legal and political line around those who left.
The Bigger Political Picture
What is happening to Shiv Sena (UBT) right now is part of a larger Maharashtra political story — one of realignment, consolidation, and a battle over who represents the “real” Shiv Sena legacy of late Balasaheb Thackeray.
In February 2023, the Election Commission had recognised Shinde’s faction as the official Shiv Sena, while Uddhav Thackeray’s group was designated Shiv Sena (UBT).
Since that ruling, Uddhav has fought to rebuild. The 2024 general elections gave his camp nine Lok Sabha MPs — a partial recovery. Now, with six of those nine gone, his parliamentary strength is back to near zero.
The statewide outreach campaign is not just about emotions or symbolism. It is Uddhav’s attempt to retain what matters most in Maharashtra politics — the grassroots Shiv Sainik network that has existed for over five decades and does not always follow where the MPs go.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Uddhav Thackeray’s statewide outreach tour |
| Trigger | 6 UBT MPs joining Shinde’s Shiv Sena |
| Tour Starts | June 27, 2026 — Nagpur, then Yavatmal, Washim, Hingoli, Parbhani |
| UBT Lok Sabha MPs now | Only 3 remaining |
| Operation Tiger | Declared by Eknath Shinde — 6 MPs merged |
| BJP’s stance | “Only one Shiv Sena exists — Shinde’s” |
| Shinde’s warning | More political shocks coming for UBT |
Why did 6 Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs join Eknath Shinde?
The six MPs skipped the UBT parliamentary party meeting and submitted a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking recognition as a separate group. They then formally merged with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, citing that they wanted to follow the original ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray.
What is Operation Tiger in Maharashtra politics?
Operation Tiger is the name Eknath Shinde gave to the political effort of bringing UBT MPs into his party. He first used such an operation in 2022 when he led a rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray as CM, and has now repeated it by pulling six Lok Sabha MPs from the UBT camp.
How many MPs does Shiv Sena (UBT) have now?
After the defection, Shiv Sena (UBT) has only 3 MPs remaining in the Lok Sabha, down from 9.
Why is Uddhav Thackeray touring Vidarbha?
He is going directly to the home constituencies of the rebel MPs — Yavatmal, Washim, Hingoli, Parbhani — to consolidate grassroots party workers and show that the UBT organisation remains intact despite the parliamentary setback.
What did Fadnavis and Uddhav discuss on the flight to Nagpur?
There was no official discussion. The two rivals happened to be on the same flight and exchanged brief pleasantries. Political analysts have called it coincidental, though it has fuelled speculation in Maharashtra’s political circles.
