MUMBAI: Amid speculation over attempts by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to engineer defections from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has convened a meeting of all party legislators at his Bandra residence, Matoshree, on Tuesday evening.Mumbai, India – 05 July 2026: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, along with Aditya Thackeray and Shiv Sena activists, performed the Ram Raksha Maha Aarti at Dadar Hanuman Mandir today to condemn the alleged Ayodhya Ram Mandir scam, in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, 05 July 2026. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)The meeting came weeks after six rebel MPs from the Thackeray camp joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, with ministers including Sanjay Shirsat repeatedly claiming that more leaders from the Uddhav camp are likely to switch sides. Adding to the speculation, Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Sachin Ahir, who joined the Shinde camp last week, recently hinted that more defections from the Thackeray faction could follow.The political buzz intensified on Sunday after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut alleged that Congress MLC Dhiraj Lingade, elected from the Amravati Graduates’ constituency, was offered ₹20 crore to defect. Raut, however, did not identify the party that had allegedly made the offer. The allegation gained traction after Lingade, who was earlier with the Shiv Sena before joining the Congress, posted a photograph with Ahir following his election as Deputy Chairperson.“You are poaching party workers, MPs and MLAs. According to my information, ₹20 crore were offered to legislator Lingade. We need to understand that the end of those who do not know where to stop is very tragic. This applies to all politicians. One needs to stop,” Raut said.In his weekly column in Saamana, Raut also referred to deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde’s recent hospitalisation and drew a parallel with Russian author Leo Tolstoy’s famous short story ‘How Much Land Does a Man Need?’, in which a man spends his life greedily trying to acquire more land, only to realise at his death that he ultimately needs just six feet of earth for burial. “Eknath Shinde has been running like that old man from Tolstoy’s story, but ultimately one needs only six feet of land after death. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will not give him six feet of land when Shinde collapses,” Raut wrote.Responding to the allegations, Lingade denied receiving any offer to defect. “I have not received any such offer and I am surprised by the claim made by Raut,” he said.