Shiv Sena (UBT), the faction led by Uddhav Thackeray, on Wednesday, 10 June accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of replicating the political defection playbook used in Maharashtra now in West Bengal, alleging that constitutional institutions are being weaponised to engineer mass crossovers from the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). The charge came through an editorial in the party's mouthpiece, Saamana, as the country marked 12 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure.

The Maharashtra Parallel

The Saamana editorial drew a direct line between the political upheaval that split the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and what it described as an unfolding drama in West Bengal, barely weeks after the state assembly election results. According to the editorial, a significant bloc of TMC legislators has broken ranks to align with the BJP, a development the Thackeray camp characterised as scripted and familiar.

'The “washing machine” of Maharashtra was lifted and brought to West Bengal, and all the corrupt Trinamool members were thrown into it. Barely a month has passed since the assembly election results, and already the entire Trinamool Congress is seemingly being merged into the BJP,' the editorial stated.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction alleged that constitutional bodies — including the Speaker, the Election Commission of India (ECI), and elements of the judiciary — are being deployed to legitimise defections rather than uphold democratic norms.

Accusations of Political Opportunism

Shiv Sena (UBT) zeroed in on what it called a glaring contradiction: during the West Bengal election campaign, Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had publicly branded the TMC government as corrupt, anti-Hindu, and a protector of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Yet, the editorial argued, the BJP has since inducted the very same leaders it condemned.

'Terror, threats, money, and investigative agencies were weaponised to break the Trinamool Congress. Local Trinamool leaders are being attacked and publicly humiliated. What kind of way is this to treat opponents? Prime Minister Modi must answer this,' the editorial demanded, also targeting Suvendu Adhikari by name alongside Modi and Shah.

The editorial further alleged that once defectors join the BJP, all pending investigations against them are quietly dropped — suggesting that the promise of clean governance is subordinated to the pursuit of political numbers.

What the Thackeray Camp Said About TMC's Future

Despite the sharp critique of the BJP, the Saamana editorial also carried a message for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, urging her not to capitulate to those switching sides. The Thackeray camp framed the departure of opportunistic leaders as a potential opportunity for the TMC — and the broader opposition — to rebuild with what it called 'fresh, self-respecting leadership.'

'Mamata Banerjee should not grovel before these treacherous people. Let those who want to leave, leave. A new dawn of self-respect and patriotism will blossom in the country,' the editorial said.

Broader Context: Defections and Democratic Norms

This is not the first time Shiv Sena (UBT) has trained its editorial guns on the BJP over defections. The party's own split in 2022, when the Eknath Shinde-led faction broke away and subsequently claimed the Shiv Sena name and symbol with the ECI's backing, remains a raw wound. Critics argue that India's anti-defection law has proven increasingly porous against well-resourced political operators. The West Bengal developments, coming so soon after a bitterly contested election, are likely to intensify the national debate over floor-crossing and the role of central investigative agencies in state politics.