Bringing an end to a week of political drama and allegations, six rebel MPs of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena or the Shiv Sena (UBT) formally joined breakaway faction of the party on Monday in the presence of party supremo and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. MPs Sanjay Dina Patil, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Omraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh and Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, who rebelled against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, joined DY CM Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena on Monday (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)The Shinde-led Shiv Sena said all formalities required for the breakaway group to merge with the party had been completed."The required process has been completed. All six MPs have joined the Shiv Sena. Operation Tiger is a success," an earlier HT report quoted Shinde as saying at a press conference at the Y B Chavan Centre in South Mumbai.The six MPs - Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Omraje Nimbalkar and Sanjay Dina Patil - were present on stage when Shinde made the announcement, paving the way for a big boost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) numbers in the Lok Sabha.NDA's numbers in Lok Sabha to get a boostThe immediate impact is not on the NDA’s official numbers yet, because the six MPs have joined the Shiv Sena but the Lok Sabha Speaker has not formally recognised the breakaway group and approved its request to merge with the Shinde-led Sena.If the Speaker accepts the move, the NDA would gain six Lok Sabha MPs, taking its strength in the Lower House from 294 to 300.The NDA would still remain short of the two-thirds majority mark required for certain constitutional purposes (around 364 in a 543-member House, depending on vacancies).For the Shiv Sena specifically, its Maharashtra Lok Sabha tally rises from seven to 13 MPs once the six Sena (UBT) MPs are officially absorbed.In the Rajya Sabha, there is no immediate change, because these are Lok Sabha MPs. The political significance is mainly about numbers, recognition, and the anti-defection/merger battle.Has Sena-UBT MPs' defection been approved? When asked whether Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had formally recognised the breakaway group and approved its request to merge with the Shinde-led Sena, Shinde said, "We have completed legal, parliamentary and constitutional requirements." The Lok Sabha Speaker's office has not made any announcement so far.Earlier on Monday, four of the six MPs - Ashtikar, Wakchaure, Jadhav and Deshmukh - were flown to Mumbai from Delhi in a special aircraft. Patil and Nimbalkar, who were already in Mumbai, travelled to Shinde's official residence at Malabar Hill.After all six MPs assembled, Shinde travelled with them to the YB Chavan Centre, where he announced their induction into the Sena. As the announcement was made, the MPs clasped hands and raised them in a show of unity."The six MPs believe in the principles of Balasaheb Thackeray and I welcome these dedicated Sainiks. I rebelled in June 2022, when 40 MLAs joined me. Now we have hit a sixer. This is the second phase,'' the Sena chief said. None of the MPs addressed the media.The two-thirds majority matters because Constitutional amendments require approval by a special majority in Parliament. Earlier this year, the government introduced bills linked to delimitation and the implementation of women's reservation. But failed to secure the required support. The proposed legislation requires a stronger parliamentary majority than the NDA currently possesses.Delimitation refers to the redrawing of parliamentary constituencies based on population changes. Several opposition parties, particularly from South India, have raised concerns about fresh delimitation exercise. They argue that delimitation could alter the balance of representation in the Lok Sabha.How signs of split emergedThe development comes a week after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) was caught off guard when signs emerged that 'Operation Tiger' could lead to six of its MPs switching sides. Operation Tiger is the name given to the Shinde Sena's efforts to bring elected representatives from the Sena (UBT) camp into its fold, a strategy adopted after the 2024 assembly elections.The first indications of a possible split emerged when Thackeray called a meeting of the party's nine Lok Sabha MPs on June 14. Four attended the meeting in Mumbai, four joined virtually, while one MP skipped it entirely.According to the rebel camp, the MPs submitted a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker on June 17, stating their intention to form a separate group and merge with the Shinde-led Sena.The Sena (UBT) responded by issuing a whip directing all its MPs to attend a meeting of its parliamentary wing the following day. All six rebel MPs skipped the meeting. The same day, the party's chief whip in Parliament, Anil Desai, issued a show-cause notice to the MPs, seeking their response within seven days. On Friday, Desai issued another notice asking them to respond within 24 hours. The party has not taken any further action since then.On Monday, Shinde said the six MPs did not join his party for personal gains but to serve the interests of their constituencies. Referring specifically to Nimbalkar, he said he would support him in his fight for justice. Shinde also addressed the challenges faced by the MPs in carrying out development work."I will organise a meeting of all ministers so that the problems of all MPs can be solved immediately," he said.Of Maharashtra's 48 Lok Sabha seats, the Shiv Sena's tally has now risen to 13, including the six rebel Sena (UBT) MPs. The Congress also has 13 MPs from the state. Independent MP Vishal Patil is supporting the Congress. The BJP has nine MPs, NCP (SP) has eight, Sena (UBT) has three and the NCP has one.Shinde also said the six MPs would contest future elections on a Shiv Sena ticket. The statement comes as two of the rebel MPs had defeated BJP and NCP candidates while contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on a Sena (UBT) ticket. The MPs had been uncertain whether the BJP and NCP, allies of the BJP in the Mahayuti government, would allow the Sena to contest these seats in future elections.Reacting to the development, Sena leader Gajanan Kirtikar said, "The six MPS have formally joined the Shiv Sena and the formalities were completed last week. They are part of the Sena now and not a separate group.''Sena (UBT) leader and MP Aaditya Thackeray reacted sharply, saying: "To the greedy MPs who have hopped over, you only prove the following: Your loyalty, your reputation is for sale, shamelessly. The government is biased and uses public money, politically, as funds...The 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."Sanjay Dina Patil, Mumbai North-East MP and one of the six rebel MPs, said, "I had a problem with one man in the Sena (UBT). Uddhavji should have visited Bhandup much earlier. The Sena (UBT) wants slaves; they don't want strong people in the party.''