Mumbai, June 15: A meeting convened by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence ‘Matoshree’ over the weekend has triggered fresh speculation over possible defections within the party’s Lok Sabha ranks, after several MPs remained absent in person.

While party managers aggressively spun a narrative of a unified front, the physical absence of the majority of its Lok Sabha MPs has exposed deep structural vulnerabilities in the Thackeray camp

Of the party’s 9 Lok Sabha MPs, only 4 were physically present at the meeting held on Sunday. The remaining 5 participated via video conference or phone, a “hybrid” arrangement that the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena (Shinde Sena) immediately mocked.

“Uddhav Thackeray ran his government via Facebook Lives. Now his MPs are doing the same,” jeered Shinde Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre. “This shows their hold over the party.

The emergency meeting was called against the backdrop of whispering campaigns regarding “Operation Tiger” — a coordinated effort by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena leader to engineer a second major split in the Sena legacy.

For the MahaYuti alliance, poaching Thackeray’s lawmakers is an existential and constitutional imperative. Under the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, a breakaway faction requires a two-thirds majority to bypass the anti-defection law and avoid disqualification. If Shinde woos just six MPs, he legally decimates Thackeray’s standing in Parliament, rendering the UBT faction a legislative rump and cementing his own claim as the absolute, legitimate successor to Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy.

It would also deliver a near-fatal psychological blow to the UBT group as the Supreme Court continues to deliberate on the validity of the original 2022 split.

While Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut dismissed the defection rumours, threatening a retaliatory “Operation Wolf” to poach Shinde legislators, insiders admit that the hunter currently possesses far more bait than the prey.

Thackeray’s MPs are facing a triple bind of structural pressures. Being in opposition is an expensive affair, especially ahead of crucial municipal and state assembly elections. Parbhani MP Sanjay Jadhav raised eyebrows last month by candidly noting, “Economic calculations are important during polls… it is impossible to say what will happen next.”

Ground-level politicians are finding it structurally exhausting to match the deep-pocketed machinery of the ruling BJP-Shinde alliance. As a member of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition alongside Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP, the UBT faction faces territorial concessions. MPs fear that sacrificing local assembly segments or municipal wards to allies to maintain coalition unity will permanently erode their foundational vote banks.

Despite Uddhav Thackeray becoming significantly more accessible post-2022, a persistent grievance remains among rural and semi-urban MPs who feel the party’s inner circle is heavily dominated by Mumbai-centric leaders.

Sanjay Raut spent the post-meeting press conference painstakingly detailing the personal emergencies of the five absent lawmakers: a daughter’s wedding preparations for Yavatmal MP Sanjay Deshmukh, a hospitalised wife for Shirdi MP Bhausaheb Wakchoure, and local MLC election duties for Hingoli MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar. Yet, party insiders remain deeply anxious.

The leadership had reportedly instructed all MPs to remain in Mumbai through the weekend, expecting them to use Aaditya Thackeray’s birthday on Saturday as a public demonstration of undivided loyalty. The failure of five MPs to show up in person over those two days has been interpreted by many within Matoshree as passive defiance.

Compounding the anxiety are recent footprints of political signalling. In recent weeks, MP Ashtikar was spotted visiting Chief Minister Shinde’s official residence, Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje held a quiet meeting with the CM’s son, Shrikant Shinde, and Shirdi’s Wakchaure met with State Industries Minister Uday Samant.

Against this backdrop, Uddhav Thackeray’s immediate challenge is to transition from defensive damage control to active grievance redressing. The political observers remarked that if Matoshree cannot guarantee robust financial backing and absolute territorial protection for its regional satraps within the MVA framework, the “hybrid” presence in party meetings may soon solidify into permanent physical exits.

“Operation Tiger” is far from dead; it is simply waiting for the political temperature in Maharashtra to hit the boiling point.

Mumbai: Social activist and social media lifestyle influencer Mohsin Khan alias Lala Lifestyle has filed a written complaint under Section 173(1) of the BNSS, 2023 at Nagpara Police Station seeking registration of an FIR against four persons for alleged caste-based harassment and criminal offences. Those against whom Lala Lifestyle has filed the complaint include Moin Batla son of Asif Batla, (2) Shoaib Tiger son of Zubair, (3) Sharukh Pathan, and (4) an unknown person. Khan has invoked the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, namely Sections 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s), 3(1)(u), 3(1)(za) and 3(2)(va)* along with Sections 61, 196, B196, B13,53 2023, and the IT Act, A complaint under Section 67 of 2000 has been registered. In addition, FIR No. 0154 of 2026 has already been registered at Dongri Police Station on 12/03/2026. As per the complaint, the accused was allegedly involved in caste-based humiliation, criminal threats and circulation of obscene electronic material. Khan has submitted electronic evidence and has sought police protection citing threats from the accused. Nagpara Police has confirmed receipt of the complaint. Further investigation is pending.

Mumbai, June 14: The controversy surrounding alleged objectionable remarks made during stand-up comedian Pranit More’s show has further intensified as the Maharashtra Home Department has directed a detailed investigation into the video content available on his social media accounts and other digital platforms.

The investigation has been handed over to the Maharashtra Cyber Police. The cyber team will now examine videos from various shows of the comedian, viral video clips, and other online content as part of the probe.

Meanwhile, Pranit More issued an apology on Saturday amid mounting criticism over the viral “Rs 370 Biryani” clip, saying he deserved the backlash and requested people to give him one more chance.

In a video shared on Instagram, More said: “I wanted to talk to all of you about this, but my Instagram account was suspended. You have seen the crowd-work video circulating on social media, and I have been receiving a lot of hate because of it.”

The comedian admitted that he made a mistake by not intervening when inappropriate remarks were made during the performance.

“I feel I deserve this hate. During the crowd-work session, the man made several derogatory comments. Everyone was laughing, and I, too, got carried away. It was a lapse in judgment. I believe it was my biggest mistake. I could have taken a stand at that moment, but I did not,” he said.

More acknowledged that his reaction gave the remarks a platform and allowed the situation to escalate.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday summoned More and web developer Himanshu Jangra over remarks allegedly made during a stand-up comedy show in Gurugram. The commission stated that the comments appeared to glorify sexual coercion and non-consensual conduct towards a woman.

Significantly, KEM Hospital and Seth G.S. Medical College on Saturday sent MBBS student Sejal Pawar on a 15-day forced leave on Saturday following a controversy surrounding a viral social media video in which she allegedly made objectionable remarks during the same stand-up comedy show.