Rajool Patil reaffirms loyalty to Uddhav Thackeray amid defection rumors

Amidst a wave of internal instability and rumors of a mass exodus from the Shiv Sena (UBT), Rajool Patil arrived at Matoshree on Sunday to declare her allegiance to party chief Uddhav Thackeray, distancing herself from the growing speculation surrounding her father, MP Sanjay Dina Patil.

Editorial·June 21, 2026·reads: 1,205

The meeting followed a sharp escalation in party discipline, as Shiv Sena (UBT) moved to challenge the absenteeism of its parliamentarians. Only three of the party’s nine Lok Sabha members attended a critical meeting in New Delhi last Thursday, prompting Chief Whip Anil Desai to issue show-cause notices to the six absentees, including Sanjay Dina Patil. The party has warned that failure to provide a satisfactory written explanation within 24 hours will trigger disqualification proceedings under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut confirmed that the legal process to disqualify the missing members is already underway. The pressure on the party leadership mounted after MLC Chandrakant Raghuvanshi claimed that six MPs had defected to the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. By positioning herself directly with Thackeray, Rajool Patil seeks to stabilize her family's standing as the party navigates what insiders have termed 'Operation Tiger.'