Rajya Sabha member and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) spokesperson Sanjay Raut on 17 June alleged that monetary transactions were at the heart of 'Operation Tiger', a reported bid by the rival Eknath Shinde-led faction to engineer defections among Shiv Sena(UBT) Lok Sabha MPs. Raut claimed that MPs were being offered as much as ₹50 crore each to switch political allegiance, with ₹15 crore described as an advance payment.

Raut's Allegations on X

In a series of posts on X, Raut sarcastically wrote, 'Apna Sapna Money Money! It's shocking and revolting that Maharashtra MPs are reportedly being offered Rs 15 crore each tonight to switch sides.' Responding to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra, he added, 'No no — Mahua ji, the Minimum Support Price is fixed at Rs 50 crore per MP… Rs 15 crore is just the advance. Frankly, these people aren't even worth Rs 50,000. Their price has only gone up because of the Shiv Sena and TMC brand label.'

Raut further alleged that a chartered aircraft had landed at Nanded Airport to ferry two MPs to an undisclosed destination. 'Under the guise of Operation Tiger, it picks up two MPs and takes off. They didn't have the means to even travel by rickshaw. Thanks to Thackeray's name, their worth has risen to the level of flying in private jets. An account of every single thing will be taken. The escape of cowardly foxes has been thwarted,' he said.

Raut Counters Reports of MPs Flying to Delhi

Pushing back against media reports that six party MPs had already landed in New Delhi, Raut cited two specific cases. He noted that Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje had travelled to Delhi for an industry committee meeting, not for any defection-related purpose. He also quoted Hingoli MP Nagesh Ashtekar as saying, 'I'm in Hingoli, but these people can forge my fake signature!' Raut warned that 'the public and the Shiv Sainiks won't let them off the hook this time.'

Petition to Lok Sabha Speaker

In a pre-emptive legal move, the Shiv Sena(UBT) Leader in the Lok Sabha wrote a four-page petition dated 16 June to Speaker Om Birla, seeking his intervention to block any fresh split or merger attempt in the Lower House. The petition warned that media reports suggested up to seven of the party's nine Lok Sabha MPs were contemplating breaking away to join either the Shinde faction or other political forces.

'There are reports appearing in the media that certain Members of Parliament elected on the symbol of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) have either approached, or are contemplating approaching, your office seeking recognition as a separate group or a merger with another political party within the Lok Sabha,' the petition stated. It further argued that the parliamentary wing owes its existence entirely to the parent organisational party, and that the constitutional framework does not permit 'multiple competing formations' to represent the same political party inside the House.

Constitutional Grounds Invoked

A significant portion of the petition relied on constitutional law and judicial precedent to preemptively dismantle the legal strategy typically employed by defecting factions. This comes amid a broader pattern of political poaching that has defined Maharashtra's fractured legislative landscape since the 2022 split that divided the original Shiv Sena. With the Shinde faction having successfully engineered that earlier rebellion, the Thackeray camp is clearly determined not to be caught off-guard again.