Uddhav Thackeray Goes All Out Against BJP: Moving SC, Invoking Ram To Visiting Jantar Mantar & Aaditya’s Mumbai March For Students Explained

Last Updated:July 22, 2026, 18:56 IST

From Ram Rally, SC To Jantar Mantar & Aaditya’s Mumbai March For Students: Uddhav Thackeray's strategy after 6 MPs' switch to Shinde Sena, explained

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has launched an all-out offensive against the BJP-led Central government by backing the student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, raising the pitch on the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation row, and escalating a legal battle in the Supreme Court.

Decoding his strategy.

THE VISIT TO JANTAR MANTAR

Thackeray arrived at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to join the ongoing agitation spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The movement, which has seen participation from activist Sonam Wangchuk and student leader Abhijeet Dipke, demands the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the massive NEET-UG exam paper leak.

Thackeray fiercely slammed the government for unleashing a police lathi-charge on the young demonstrators during their ‘Chalo Sansad’ march, calling the suppression an assault on democracy.

THE BATTLE IN THE SUPREME COURT

Simultaneously, the Thackeray camp approached the Supreme Court to contest Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s decision to recognise the “merger" of six out of nine Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs with the rival Eknath Shinde faction.

On July 22, 2026, the Supreme Court declined an interim stay on the merger but agreed to officially hear the legal challenge after two weeks.

INVOKING LORD RAM

Addressing party workers at a Nagpur temple, Thackeray invoked Lord Ram to challenge the BJP’s monopoly on Hindutva. He targeted the ruling dispensation over an FIR and ongoing SIT probe involving the alleged misappropriation of Ayodhya Ram temple donations, aggressively calling for a “BJP-Free" Ram movement.

AADITYA THACKERAY’S MARCH IN MUMBAI

Back in Mumbai, Worli MLA Aaditya Thackeray called for a massive, peaceful Tiranga March.

Citizens and student wings have been urged to assemble at Shivaji Park on Friday, July 24, 2026, at 4:00 PM.

Aaditya also announced a dedicated legal aid cell (shivsenaubtlegal@gmail.com) to provide free legal help to any student facing police notices or cases due to the recent protests.

IN THE MEANWHILE…

• The Lok Sabha Speaker and the respondents must submit their formal responses to the Court’s notice. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear detailed arguments regarding the legality of the merger in two weeks. The court will determine whether a legislative faction can unilaterally merge with another party under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule without a corresponding merger of the parent political organisation.
• The six rebel MPs—Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure—will sit with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena benches. The six MPs are bound by the legislative whip issued by the Shinde faction, rather than Uddhav Thackeray’s party. Any defiance of Shinde’s party whip could trigger immediate disqualification proceedings under the Tenth Schedule.
• The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction is functioning with an absolute minimum of just three MPs in the Lok Sabha. Parliamentary time for speaking, raising questions, and participating in debates is allotted based on a party’s numerical strength. The UBT faction’s voice and allotted time are severely cut down for the remainder of this session.
• The Shinde faction enjoys status as a 13-MP block, solidifying its leverage as a vital NDA ally from Maharashtra. The Shinde camp retains control over the unified party’s parliamentary offices, funds, and institutional privileges in New Delhi.
• The Lok Sabha Secretariat and the six rebel MPs must draft and file their formal counter-affidavits responding to the Supreme Court’s notice. Legal teams for Uddhav’s faction, led by senior advocates, will compile arguments to prove that a legislative party cannot merge independently without the parent political party merging.

About the Author

Manjiri Joshi

At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci...Read More

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