The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) launched a coordinated and scathing attack on the ruling MahaYuti alliance on Wednesday, 17 June, as the political crisis in Maharashtra over the alleged poaching of Shiv Sena-UBT lawmakers intensified ahead of the June 19 Shiv Sena Foundation Day. Senior leaders from the Indian National Congress (INC) and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) condemned the reported defection manoeuvres as 'political adultery' and a 'relentless assault on democracy.'

The opposition bloc further alleged that the financial stakes have escalated sharply, claiming the going rate to induce a sitting Member of Parliament to switch sides has reached ₹85 crore per legislator.

Rohit Pawar's Broadside

NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar led the attack, rejecting the tactical framing often applied to political defections.

'Getting married to one and then running away holding someone else's hand... this is an utterly nauseating political adultery, and it's a sign that the march toward dictatorship has begun by breaking the Constitution and democracy. This should not be called ‘Operation Tiger’ but ‘Operation Bazaar’ — a marketplace. Whether this bazaar is worthy of our people or our ideas will be decided by the citizens themselves,' Pawar said.

He directly questioned the source of funding behind these structural splits. 'The rate for each MP is now ₹85 crore. Where does the money come from for the concerned party to pay such astronomical amounts?' he asked, warning that public patience across India is wearing thin.

Pawar listed a sequence of parties he said had been fractured — Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) — and warned that if the trend continues, 'the people themselves will take to the streets.'

He also flagged what he described as a mismatch of political priorities, noting that 'the shadow of drought looms over our heads, there's no water for drinking or farming, agricultural produce fetches no price, and unemployment is rising,' while hundreds of crores are reportedly being spent on political engineering.

Congress Leaders Condemn the 'Assault on Democracy'

Maharashtra Congress Legislative Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar targeted what he described as the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) established playbook of fracturing opposition parties and pressuring democratic institutions.

'The word ‘operation’ is traditionally used to heal a patient or to save a nation from a deep crisis. But what we are witnessing today is no operation — it is a relentless assault on the country itself. Democracy is not merely a means to win elections; it is the trust bestowed by the people and the responsibility entrusted by the Constitution,' Wadettiwar said.

He reminded any rumoured defectors that their electoral mandate was explicitly anti-BJP. 'In the recent Lok Sabha elections, votes were sought in the name of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. If MPs go against this today and join the BJP's fold, it is a direct betrayal of the voters' trust. Those who sacrifice the mandate for the lure of power will never be forgiven by history,' he said.

State Congress Spokesperson's Sharp Warning

State Congress Spokesperson Sachin Sawant described the ongoing political engineering as fuelled by 'an insatiable lust for unlimited power,' warning that such manoeuvres are passing a deeply corrupt ideal to the next generation.

'From the political earthquakes orchestrated by the BJP, only venom is emerging, and it is spreading everywhere in society,' Sawant said, adding that if citizens do not find a way out, 'what lies ahead is nothing but ruin.'

Context and What's Next

The confrontation comes amid heightened political tension in Maharashtra ahead of the symbolically significant Shiv Sena Foundation Day on 19 June, which both factions of the divided party regard as a critical moment of legitimacy. This is not the first time defection allegations have roiled the state — the original split of Shiv Sena in 2022 triggered a prolonged constitutional battle that eventually reached the Supreme Court. Critics argue the latest episode follows the same pattern. How the Election Commission of India (ECI) and judiciary respond to any formal complaints will be closely watched in the days ahead.