'I deny being on any rebel list': Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Dina Patil dismisses defection rumours

This comes amid speculation over a possible rift within the Shiv Sena (UBT) and reports suggesting that some MPs could break away from the party.

Dismissing the speculation surrounding his political future, Patil said he remains committed to the Shiv Sena (UBT) and rejected reports linking him to any list of rebel MPs.

"I deny being on any rebel list. I am an MP of SSUBT and will be in SSUBT only," Patil told ANI.

Patil had also attended a meeting held at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's residence on Sunday, a development seen as significant amid the ongoing buzz over possible defections. He has since reiterated that the reports about him switching parties are baseless.

His statement comes amid intense political speculation in Maharashtra over the possibility of divisions within the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT), with rumours circulating about a few MPs allegedly considering switching sides.

Maharashtra is currently witnessing an "Operation Tiger" buzz amid speculation that seven of the nine UBT MPs were in touch with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and looking to join the ruling party. Back in 2022, Shinde, along with several MLAs, broke away from Uddhav Thackeray, splitting the party into two.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday trained her guns on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the ruling party was attempting to engineer political defections.

In a post on X, Chaturvedi used a metaphor involving snakes to caution the BJP against believing that political leaders brought into its fold would remain loyal indefinitely.

"The BJP should not remain under the illusion that by assembling a gang of cobras, they will feed the snakes milk and they will only bite the opposition. Your time will also come because it is the nature of a snake to bite; if today is our turn, tomorrow could be yours too," she wrote in her post. (ANI)