Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena (UBT) said the party remains intact and united following a meeting with MPs in Mumbai on Sunday.
The announcement comes as the party seeks to dispel rumors of internal discord and potential defections to the Eknath Shinde camp. Maintaining a unified front is critical for the party as it navigates ongoing political maneuvers in Maharashtra.
All nine [1] Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs attended a routine interaction chaired by party chief Uddhav Thackeray at the Matoshree meeting venue, Raut said. The gathering was intended to demonstrate solidarity and shut down speculation regarding party fractures.
"The party is intact, united and strong," Raut said. He addressed reports of a plot to lure party members away—a scheme referred to as "Operation Tiger"—by ridiculing the claims as baseless.
In response to these rumors, Raut announced a retaliatory strategy. "We will launch Operation Wolf as a response to the baseless Operation Tiger rumors," he said.
Raut said the full attendance of the legislative group confirms the party's stability. The meeting served as a public signal that the leadership maintains control over its parliamentary members despite external pressures.
“"The party is intact, united and strong,"”
The introduction of 'Operation Wolf' suggests that Shiv Sena (UBT) is moving from a defensive posture to an offensive one in its rivalry with the Shinde camp. By publicly verifying the attendance of all nine MPs, the party is attempting to neutralize the leverage of rumors that typically precede actual defections in Indian regional politics.
