Uddhav Thackeray has summoned Shiv Sena MPs to Matoshree on Monday as unease spreads through Maharashtra’s Opposition ranks over the rebellion inside the Trinamool Congress and the possibility of similar moves by smaller parliamentary groups.
The meeting, convened at Thackeray’s Bandra residence, is expected to focus on the mood within the party’s Lok Sabha ranks, their grievances, floor coordination and their willingness to remain aligned with the Opposition bloc at a time when the TMC’s parliamentary unit is facing a sharp internal split. Thackeray is set to speak personally to MPs, a sign that the leadership wants to assess loyalty directly rather than rely on second-hand assurances.
The immediate trigger is the plan by dissident TMC MPs to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday and seek recognition as the “real” parliamentary group of the party. The rebel camp has claimed the backing of close to two-thirds of the TMC’s Lok Sabha strength and wants to sit with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, although the Mamata Banerjee camp has contested the numbers and moved to tighten organisational control.
The TMC won 29 Lok Sabha seats in 2024, making it one of the largest components of the Opposition alliance. Any formal rupture in its parliamentary party would alter the balance of numbers on the Opposition benches and give the NDA a political advantage beyond the arithmetic of seats. For regional parties with a history of splits, the episode has revived anxiety over parliamentary defections, factional claims and Speaker-recognised realignments.
Shiv Sena is especially sensitive to such churn. The party has already endured a vertical split after Eknath Shinde broke away from Uddhav Thackeray in 2022, took most legislators with him, and later secured recognition for his faction. The Uddhav-led group fought the 2024 Lok Sabha election as Shiv Sena and won nine seats, preserving a parliamentary presence despite losing the party name and symbol battle.
That history gives Monday’s Matoshree meeting unusual weight. The leadership is expected to review whether MPs are under pressure, whether informal outreach has been made by rival camps, and whether public appearances or private meetings by MPs have fuelled doubt. The party also wants to prevent speculation from hardening into a political narrative ahead of future state and civic contests in Maharashtra.
The Nationalist Congress Party, which won eight Lok Sabha seats in 2024, is also being watched closely. The party emerged from the 2023 split in the undivided NCP, when Ajit Pawar joined the ruling alliance in Maharashtra and later secured control of the party name and clock symbol. That background has made any talk of parliamentary movement within the Sharad Pawar camp politically sensitive, even when no formal split has been announced.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, remains dependent on unity among its smaller but strategically placed blocs. A shift by even a few MPs from either regional party would carry symbolic weight, suggesting that the Opposition’s regional anchors remain vulnerable to pressure after the BJP regained control of Maharashtra’s power structure through its allies.
The TMC crisis has deepened over the past week as rebel MPs led by senior figures moved against the central leadership and questioned Abhishek Banerjee’s authority. The rebellion followed turbulence in Bengal’s legislature party, where a large group of MLAs challenged the leadership’s line and asserted separate control. Mamata Banerjee has responded by reshuffling party posts, replacing dissenting MPs from organisational roles and elevating loyalists.
Senior TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay’s meetings in Delhi with BJP leaders added to the pressure on the party, prompting sharp attacks from loyalists including Mahua Moitra. The dispute has widened beyond personal rivalries, with rebel MPs framing their move as a parliamentary realignment and the loyalist camp treating it as a betrayal of the mandate secured under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership.
