Shiv Sena (UBT) Crisis: ₹50 Crore Offers to Switch; Party Seeks Emergency Delhi Meet

The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction faces a critical political crisis on 18 June 2026 with reports that dissident MPs are being offered ₹50 crore each to form a separate faction or defect. The party's national leadership convened an emergency meeting in New Delhi to prevent the anticipated split and retain its 22-member Lok Sabha contingent.

Crisis background: (1) The original Shiv Sena split in 2022 after Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray broke ranks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and joined the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi); (2) UBT faction controls Maharashtra government (2022-24) but lost Maharashtra Assembly elections (October 2024); (3) Current dissent centers on alleged lack of direction post-Maharashtra electoral defeat and perception of minority status within MVA.

Key political implications: (1) If 2/3rd of MPs defect, the remaining faction may lose recognition under the anti-defection law; (2) Group formation requires at least 8 MPs; current reports suggest 8-10 MPs considering exit; (3) Defection would reduce MVA's Lok Sabha strength and destabilize the MVA alliance in Maharashtra.

Why it matters for India: (1) Maharashtra's political stability affects India's largest industrial economy (12% of national GDP); (2) MVA alliance faces existential challenge—if Shiv Sena (UBT) collapses, Congress-NCP form rump opposition; (3) Tests anti-defection law effectiveness; large-scale inducements represent cash-for-votes phenomenon; (4) Reflects broader trend of ideological parties fragmenting into interest-driven factions.

Exam angle: Indian politics, coalition dynamics, defection law. UPSC Mains GS-II: Indian political institutions, anti-defection law (10th Schedule), coalition stability, Maharashtra politics. Question type: Case studies on regional party decline.