Mumbai, July 13 (IANS) The declaration by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief leader, Eknath Shinde, that “picture abhi baki hai (the movie is not over)” regarding Operation Tiger, signals a deeper, aggressive phase in the war for the legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray.

By warning that the operation has not concluded and “more breaking news” was on the horizon, Dy CM Shinde is sending a clear psychological and tactical message to the remaining elements of the Opposition.

Shinde’s choice of using a popular Bollywood dialogue is designed to achieve maximum psychological disruption. By executing the defection of six out of nine Lok Sabha MPs of the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Shinde camp achieved the legal buffer (the two-thirds threshold) needed to avoid anti-defection penalties under the Tenth Schedule.

However, keeping the threat of Operation Tiger 2.0 alive prevents the remaining Uddhav Thackeray (UBT) cadre from stabilising or organising counter-strategies.

The phrase “picture abhi baki hai” indicates that the crossover pipeline is not restricted to New Delhi. The Shinde faction is signaling to the remaining UBT MLAs and municipal corporators (particularly in Mumbai, Thane, and the Marathwada belt) that the doors are open, prompting a sense of political isolation among those who stay behind.

Shinde’s public posturing about ongoing operations is as much directed inward at his coalition partners as it is outward at the Opposition.

Within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, seat-sharing discussions are notoriously complex. By consistently demonstrating a capacity to dismantle the Opposition and pull in winnable regional heavyweights, the Shiv Sena chief leader asserts himself as the primary electoral engine of the coalition, matching the organisational muscle of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the BJP.

The ongoing nature of the operation helps Shinde continuously reinforce the narrative that the shift in power is an organic, expanding realignment rather than a one-time transactional mutiny.

It challenges the emotional “sympathy wave” that the UBT camp has relied upon till now, by projecting Shinde’s faction as the inevitable, stable home for regional workers.

However, political observers remarked that while continuous political engineering yields immediate headlines, an elongated Operation Tiger carries distinct structural vulnerabilities.

A political party can only absorb a finite number of leaders before running out of institutional rewards (tickets, ministries, state corporation chairs). If Shinde continues to pull in more Opposition figures, he risks triggering internal rebellion among his original 2022 loyalists who have been waiting in line for political patronage.

A prolonged spectacle of political defections can induce voter fatigue. While top-tier leaders change coats, the grassroots electorate often grows cynical. If the narrative shifts from “protecting Balasaheb’s legacy” to “unending political engineering,” it could trigger silent voter consolidation against the ruling establishment when the secret ballot is finally cast, said political observers.

Shinde’s aggressive assertion that the “picture is still rolling” shows that he recognises the momentum is currently in his favour. However, the true climax of this political script will not be determined by how many leaders cross over in Delhi or Mumbai, but by whether this top-tier institutional migration can be converted into an organic, transferable vote bank at the grassroots level before the credits roll.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

sj/rad