Vinay Kumar
NEW DELHI: Six rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs will officially join the Eknath Shinde-led camp on Monday afternoon, marking the second major dent to Uddhav Thackeray‘s party in four years. Earlier in the day, Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik confirmed the development and the MPs’ merger into the ruling camp.Speaking to reporters, Sarnaik said the MPs would join the Shinde camp at 3 pm, increasing the party’s strength in the Lok Sabha from seven to 13 members.“At 3 pm today, six MPs will officially join Shiv Sena. This will increase the number of our MPs from 7 to 13. This has increased the strength of Shiv Sena,” he said.His remarks came days after six of Shiv Sena (UBT)’s nine Lok Sabha members distanced themselves from the Uddhav Thackeray-led party and informed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla of their decision to form a separate group.The rebel MPs have argued that the party had moved away from its original ideology and expressed concerns over its growing proximity to the Congress. The move has intensified political turmoil within Shiv Sena (UBT), with the party accusing the MPs of betraying the mandate under which they were elected.Meanwhile, rebel MP Sanjay Deshmukh, who represents Yavatmal-Washim, officially joined the Shinde-led faction.A prominent political figure in the Vidarbha region, Deshmukh has played a key role in building the party’s grassroots presence. Before joining Shiv Sena politics, he served two terms as an independent MLA and was Maharashtra’s sports minister between 2002 and 2004.His induction was marked by banners welcoming him to the Shinde faction at several locations across the city.Referring to the ongoing efforts to attract leaders from rival camps, Sarnaik said the party’s ‘Operation Tiger’ was continuing.“Operation Tiger continues all 365 days; the six MPs who follow the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray are joining Shiv Sena at 3 pm today. They have given a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker. We welcome them,” he said.Sarnaik also took a swipe at Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut.“We thank Sanjay Raut because of whom, first, the MLAs joined our party, and now six MPs are joining our party,” he added.
How the split unfolded
The rebellion became public after six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs skipped a parliamentary party meeting convened in Delhi despite a whip being issued by the party. Only Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waze attended the meeting and reaffirmed their support for Uddhav Thackeray.The six MPs subsequently wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking recognition as a separate group. Under the anti-defection law, support from two-thirds of a party’s MPs can protect legislators from disqualification.Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders, including Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut, have strongly criticised the rebel MPs, accusing them of abandoning the party for political gain. The dissidents, however, maintain that their decision is aimed at preserving Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology and strengthening the Shiv Sena under Eknath Shinde‘s leadership.
