Uddhav Thackeray Offers To Resign As UBT Sena Chief, Calls Rebel MPs 'Traitors'

Last Updated:June 19, 2026, 21:07 IST

The former Maharashtra CM launched a sharp attack at the BJP, accusing it of trying to destroy the Shiv Sena.

Amid a fresh wave of rebellion within the party, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday offered to resign as party chief. However, he struck a defiant note, asserting that his workers remained confident and that he was ready to face any challenge as long as he had the support of Shiv Sainiks.

His remarks came as only three out of his party’s nine Lok Sabha MPs attended the parliamentary meeting in Delhi on Thursday amid intense speculation over possible defections from the Uddhav Thackeray-led camp. Arvind Sawant, Rajabhau Waje and Anil Desai were the only ones who attended the meeting. They were felicitated at the party’s foundation day celebrations held by the Uddhav-led camp.

Speaking on the occasion, Uddhav said, “Many must have thought that today, on the foundation day, Shiv Sena party workers will be low on confidence, but that is not the case. I will face any challenge as long as Shiv Sainiks are with me."

Uddhav also recalled that the party’s founder Balasaheb Thackeray, had rejected an offer to join Congress, emphasising that the party was not power-hungry. “Despite being in an alliance with the BJP for so many years, we didn’t merge with them, then how can we merge with Congress?" Uddhav said.

Uddhav Thackeray Attacks BJP

The former Maharashtra Chief Minister attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of trying to destroy the Shiv Sena. He also remarked that the BJP does not have an actual two-thirds majority in the Parliament, as all their MPs have been borrowed from other parties.

“I took responsibility for the CM post when the BJP backed out from their promise. Today, I apologise to all those voters who voted for these traitors. We had not used the face of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi. But still, people voted for us," he added.

Uddhav also hit out at rebel MPs, saying, “Traitors cannot hold a real saffron flag in their hands."

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“These traitors have betrayed you and Maharashtra. Shiv Sena was not born to merge but to give justice to Marathi Manila," he said. “Congress also poached a few leaders from us but never made them CM. Congress never tried to tarnish the image of Maharashtra. Congress is better than the BJP as they have always been on the same level."

He also called on opposition parties to carry out their own version of ‘Operation Lotus’ to bring in leaders from other parties, saying the current scenario is a threat to India’s democracy.

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Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int...Read More

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