Uddhav Thackeray offers to step down amid defection talk

On Shiv Sena (UBT)’s 60th foundation day, Uddhav Thackeray made an emotional offer to step down as president if his defecting MPs believed allegations against him. He also called for ‘Operation Lotus’ in response to ‘Operation Tiger’ and rejected claims of mer

Mumbai was loud with celebrations on Friday night, but the mood inside the speeches carried something sharper—an argument about loyalty, a warning about democracy, and a test of who still believed in Thackeray.

At Shiv Sena (UBT)’s 60th Foundation Day programme at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai. Uddhav Thackeray stepped to the microphone on June 19. 2026 and spoke with visible emotion. He told his party leaders and cadre that he would step down as the party’s president—immediately—if those defected parliamentarians believed the allegations levelled against him.

He didn’t stop there. Thackeray called for starting “Operation Lotus” in response to what he alleged was “Operation Tiger” carried out by Shiv Sena to lure six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs into its fold. He also rejected allegations that his party was likely to merge with the Congress.

Targeting the BJP for “dirty politics”. Thackeray said Gen Z. which he said was being termed as “cockroaches”. would bring about a change in the country. He then took aim at the ruling party over the deployment of “2.5 lakh paramilitary forces” in West Bengal. saying it was being done “to defeat a woman”. He challenged the government, asking whether it would station that many personnel in Manipur or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir instead.

“The BJP is moving from ‘One Nation, One Election’, to ‘One Nation, No Election’,” Thackeray said. He argued that the pressure on democracy was growing, warning that people’s faith was eroding and that politics was moving “towards anarchy”.

“We will have to do Operation Lotus. The way politics of this country is being conducted, people’s faith in democracy is eroding. This is a threat to democracy. The way we are going currently, we are moving towards anarchy,” he said.

Then. turning directly to the MPs who have allegedly defected. Thackeray said his party did not merge with the BJP even though it had been allied with it for 30 years. “And those who are leaving say that they feared we will merge with the Congress. ” he said while speaking to a charged up cadre at the Shanmukhanand Hall. He was accompanied by his son Aaditya Thackeray and wife Rashmi Thackeray, along with party MLAs and MPs.

Across the city, Eknath Shinde held his own Foundation Day event at NESCO Ground in the Goregaon area. There, the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader hinted at more defections from Shiv Sena (UBT). Without referring to “Operation Tiger”. he said “what was seen was only a trailer. and that the movie was yet to be screened”.

“Balasaheb Thackeray’s true heirs are my Shiv Sainiks. Succession is not determined by blood relations but by ideology. Shiv Sena is not a piece of land; it is the ideology of millions of people,” Shinde told the gathering.

Both events unfolded amid turbulence in Maharashtra’s political scene. as speculation persists that six MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT) are likely to defect and join Shinde’s Shiv Sena. If that happens, the party’s strength in Parliament would fall from nine MPs to three. Shiv Sena (UBT) has already initiated disciplinary action against these six MPs for failing to attend its parliamentary board meeting. The split, officials and party observers note, is the second in the last four years to rock the party. In 2022. Shinde had taken 40 of the previous State Assembly’s 55 MLAs with him. saying the original party and party symbol belonged with him.

Shiv Sena (UBT) remains an important ally in the opposition INDIA bloc, making the internal fracture more than a personal battle—it reshapes arithmetic in Parliament.

Thackeray’s own speech returned to that personal and political line. He responded to allegations levelled against him by the defected parliamentarians that he was never available and that they could not get his time or attention. He first criticised them, then changed tone towards the end, stepping into what he framed as a direct appeal.

Stressing that the Thackeray family had never sought power, he said: “All these allegations are being levelled against me. You (defecting MPs) tell me. Do you believe in them?. If yes, I am willing to step down right now. I have only one appeal. Do not let this Shiv Sena get into the hands of thieves. One of you should come up and I am willing to hand it over to you right now. You should answer those who level allegations against me. I don’t run away. I will stand strong. But I want your support,” he said.

He then asked the cadre whether they were willing to stay with him even if he did not fight elections or offer them any tickets. Thackeray also expressed gratitude towards all the party members for standing by him and his family for 60 years.

He hit out at the BJP and the Shiv Sena for levelling allegations against the Thackeray family. saying nobody saw the sufferings the family had endured over the years. He reiterated that the family had never been attached to power. and said he was forced to take the Chief Ministerial position in 2019 due to the circumstances prevailing at the time.

In the same week that the party’s parliamentary strength could shift again—dropping from nine MPs to three—Thackeray’s offer to step down functioned as both challenge and plea: a demand for proof. a request for loyalty. and a bid to keep the party’s identity from slipping into rival hands. Published – June 20, 2026 01:27 am IST.

Uddhav Thackeray Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena (UBT) Shiv Sena foundation day Operation Lotus Operation Tiger defected MPs Lok Sabha MPs INDIA bloc Manipur Pakistan-occupied Kashmir One Nation One Election One Nation No Election Rashmi Thackeray Aaditya Thackeray