Aaditya Thackeray slams Shiv Sena (UBT) rebels, says they abandoned poll mandate for 'greed'

Shiv Sena UBT MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Monday launched a sharp attack on the partys dissident Lok Sabha members accusing them of abandoning the mandate given by voters and switching sides for personal gainHis remarks came amid a major political setback for Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray with six of the partys nine Lok Sabha MPs rebelling against the leadership Two of the dissidents Nagesh Patil Ashtikar and Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar have already confirmed that they will join the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath ShindeThe developments have intensified concerns within the party over its ability to retain elected representatives and maintain unity ahead of future electoral contestsAaditya says MPs won with support of INDIA bloc alliesIn a post on X Aaditya Thackeray argued that the rebel MPs had secured electoral victories as candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA and the INDIA alliance benefiting from support extended by alliance partners during the campaignTo the greedy MPs who have hopped over you only prove the following stronger than before1 Your loyalty your reputation is for sale shamelessly 2 The government is biased and uses public money politically as funds All of the ones that are jumping over now were electedhellipmdash Aaditya Thackeray AUThackeray June 22 2026He pointed out that leaders from Shiv Sena UBT Congress and NCP SP had campaigned extensively for the candidates in their respective constituenciesAll of the ones that are jumping over now were elected on the platforms of the MVA and the INDIA against the NDA All of them had leaders from Shiv Sena UBT Congress and NCP SP campaigning for them each one asked for rallies from leaders of all parties and allies Aaditya Thackeray saidAccording to him the MPs were elected on a platform that opposed the National Democratic Alliance NDA making their decision to switch sides a betrayal of voter trustClaims voters rejected NDA candidatesAaditya Thackeray maintained that voters in the constituencies represented by the dissident MPs had consciously voted against NDA candidates and endorsed the agenda of the INDIA blocHe accused the MPs of disregarding the public mandate by aligning themselves with the ruling alliance after winning elections on an opposing platformThe voters voted against the NDA candidates and for INDIA in your constituencies and for all it stands for Just accept that your greed got you to ditch all of it overnight shamelessly he saidIn his social media post Aaditya Thackeray also alleged that the dissidents had put their loyalty and public reputation up for sale and accused the government of favouring defectors through the use of public resourcesRebel MPs cite various reasons for crossoverAmong the six rebel MPs Nagesh Patil Ashtikar and Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar publicly confirmed their decision to switch to the Shindeled Shiv Sena on SundayThe leaders cited multiple reasons for their move including difficulties faced while functioning from the Opposition and challenges related to accessing development funds for their constituenciesTheir decisions have fuelled speculation that more MPs could formally join the ruling Shiv Sena in the coming daysRebellion poses challenge for Uddhav ThackerayThe rebellion has emerged as one of the biggest organisational challenges for Uddhav Thackeray since the split in the Shiv Sena in 2022Political observers believe the developments could have implications for the partys strategy ahead of future elections and its role within the Opposition alliance in MaharashtraWith six MPs now openly distancing themselves from the party leadership attention is focused on whether Shiv Sena UBT can prevent further defections and retain its political influence in the state