Mumbai, July 24: Facing existential threats due to the high-profile defections by six Lok Sabha MPs who joined the Eknath Shinde faction, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray is deploying a three-pronged approach to save the party, i.e. ideological reclaiming, issue-based youth mobilisation, and constitutional litigation.

Rather than playing defence after losing key party members, the Sena (UBT) is attempting to shift the political momentum back onto the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti/NDA coalition.

Thackeray has raised the issue of financial irregularities in the Shri Ram Temple donations by launching a statewide “Ram Raksha” campaign and a “BJP-free Ram movement.”

This is important as Hindutva has traditionally been the BJP’s sole ideological moat. By questioning the financial integrity of the Ram Temple movement and demanding accountability for donations (especially the silver bricks), Thackeray has targeted the BJP’s core voter base.

It forced the BJP onto the defensive on its home turf. Challenging the BJP in its ideological citadel of Nagpur, is designed to signal to traditional Sena voters that the UBT faction has not abandoned its core ideological roots despite political realignments.

Visiting Jantar Mantar, condemning the police lathi-charge on NEET paper leak protesters, comparing the government to Colonial rulers, and setting up free legal aid cells, Thackeray for a while has changed track beyond the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s traditional hyper-ethno-nationalist and religious appeal to retain relevance among younger, urban, and middle-class voters.

Joining student protests Uddhav Thackeray highlighted governance failures in education, exam integrity and state heavy-handedness. The comparison to Colonial rule and past democratic precedents like Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, aimed to frame the ruling alliance as autocratic, thus appealing to neutral and youth voters affected by systemic administrative failures.

While the SC declined an interim stay on July 22, 2026, obtaining show-cause notices against the Speaker, Secretariat, and rebel MPs keeps a legal sword hanging over the Shinde faction. Legally, it tests the boundaries of the anti-defection law regarding split vs merger provisions when an original party maintains its independent legal identity.

Politically, it framed the rebel MPs as opportunists who betrayed the public mandate under which they were elected. Historically, the split between Uddhav and Raj Thackeray fragmented the traditional Sena voter base in the Mumbai-Thane-Konkan belt.

Re-aligning with Raj Thackeray creates a formidable regional bloc. It consolidates the Marathi vote in upcoming civic body (BMC) and state-level contests, presenting a unified front that is difficult for national parties to divide.

While Thackeray’s aggressive posture has created immediate momentum, several vulnerabilities remain. The ongoing defection of elected MPs/MLAs undermines organisational stability at the constituency level, even if public sympathy favours the UBT faction.

Political observers said that balancing hardline Hindutva messaging through Ram Temple campaigns with broader social/youth issues and coalition politics requires careful calibration to avoid alienating either traditional nationalists or secular alliance partners.

Constitutional litigations in the Supreme Court often stretch over long periods. Without immediate legal stays, the political reality on the ground (recognised mergers) can become difficult to reverse practically before major election cycles.

However, Thackeray through his recent actions signals that his party is refusing to be sidelined into regional irrelevance. By combining ideological counter-attacks, constitutional challenges, youth mobilisation, and tactical regional unity, he is attempting to frame the broader conflict as a fight for democratic accountability and local identity against centralised power.

New Delhi, July 24: After the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has also issued an advisory asking students and other stakeholders to refrain from visiting Jantar Mantar, where the Cockroach Janta Party is holding a protest over the NEET paper leak and other issues.

In an advisory issued on Friday, the university urged members of its academic community to act responsibly and prioritise their personal safety.

“All stakeholders of JNU’s epistemic community are advised to act responsibly and prioritise their personal safety. In accordance with the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India’s directions on public demonstrations, you are requested to refrain from participating in or visiting gatherings at or around Jantar Mantar, New Delhi,” the advisory stated.

The university also cautioned students about their conduct on social media, warning that violations could attract legal and disciplinary action.

“Please exercise responsibility on social media. Violations may invite legal consequences under applicable laws as well as disciplinary action under the University’s code of conduct,” the statement said.

It further urged students and staff to uphold the principles of responsible citizenship, saying, “You are also encouraged to uphold the values of academic responsibility and responsible citizenship.”

The advisory came a day after Delhi University issued a similar appeal to its students and faculty members, urging them to stay away from demonstrations at Jantar Mantar due to potential safety and legal consequences.

In its statement on Thursday, DU said that the safety and well-being of students remained its foremost priority and warned against participation in unlawful assemblies or demonstrations.

“Dear students and faculty, your safety matters to us,” the advisory said, adding that gatherings at Jantar Mantar are subject to regulations and restrictions laid down under directions of the Supreme Court of India.

The advisories from the two central universities came amid continued protests at Jantar Mantar over the demand for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan despite activist Sonam Wangchuk ending his 26-day fast.

Washington, July 24: US forces launched another round of strikes against Iranian military targets on Thursday evening (local time), marking the 13th consecutive night of attacks, said the US Central Command.

The strikes began at 6:45 p.m. Eastern Time and were intended “to hold Iran accountable and diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping,” the command said in a post on X.

US forces have redirected 12 commercial vessels and disabled one from entering or leaving Iranian ports or coastal areas since resuming a naval blockade against Iran earlier this month, the command said in another post on X.

“Since resuming the naval blockade against Iran nine days ago, CENTCOM has redirected 12 commercial vessels and disabled 1 to prevent ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports or coastal areas.”

Earlier on Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that it had stopped three oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, one of which caught fire after an explosion.

“Three oil tankers, provoked and tempted by the child-killing American army, were trying to pass through the mine-laid route south of the Strait of Hormuz, but after one of them exploded and caught fire, the other two quickly turned around and turned back,” the IRGC said in a statement quoted by Iranian state media.

It further warned that any ship “deceived” by the United States and intends to pass without Iran’s consent “will suffer the same fate.”

On Wednesday (Washington time), US forces launched strikes across Iran for the 12th consecutive night.

Iranian state media reported that US missiles struck locations near the cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk in western Iran, a power station near the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, and killed two people in the town of Shalamcheh on the Iraqi border,

Earlier on Thursday, US President Donald Trump told US online media Axios that he is considering restarting major combat operations in Iran, including strikes that would be bigger than the Operation Epic Fury he launched on February 28.