Rebellion crisis LIVE: Abhishek Banerjee gets Lok Sabha invite amid TMC crisis; ₹50 cr 'offer' to Maha MPs

REbellion crisis unrecorded: Shiv Sena (UBT) is staring at a invigorated split up in its Lok Sabha building block, with sextet of its seven MPs likely to seek recognition as a separate group and eventually merge with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The six parliamentarians are expected to meet Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla in Delhi to submit a letter seeking recognition as a separate group. The move comes despite Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentary party chief Arvind Sawant issuing a whip directing all party MPs to attend a meeting on Thursday and urging the Speaker not to recognise any breakaway faction.The political churn comes days after a major setback for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), with at least 20 of its Lok Sabha MPs writing to the Speaker proposing to join the NCPI and support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The twin developments could significantly alter the arithmetic in the Lok Sabha as the NDA seeks the numbers required to push through the proposed delimitation bill.Amid the turmoil in TMC and Sena-UBT, a UP minister sparked speculation of impending split in the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday.TMC, Shiv Sena-UBT, SP rebellion | Key points1 - TMC MPs' rebellion: Formal approval for the merger of the rebel TMC faction, comprising 20 MPs and led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) could be delayed after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla decided to hear the TMC leadership before taking a final call. The Lok Sabha Secretariat wrote to Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC's floor leader in the Lok Sabha, on Monday regarding a meeting after he appealed to the Speaker not to recognise any faction of the party. The letter proposed a meeting at 4 pm on Monday, but Abhishek Banerjee was then being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate. The Speaker is now expected to meet him later this week.2 - NDA's number if TMC merger goes through: If the merger goes through, the NDA's strength in the Lok Sabha will rise from 294 to 314 seats, still 46 short of the two-thirds majority mark. In the Rajya Sabha, the ruling alliance could reach 155 seats, just eight short of the two-thirds threshold.3 - What's happening in Maharashtra: Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, ‘Operation Tiger’ has been gaining momentum. Operation Tiger is the name given to the Shiv Sena’s attempts to poach Sena (UBT) elected representatives. It gained steam on Tuesday evening, two days after only four of the nine Sena (UBT) MPs attended a meeting called by Thackeray at his residence in Mumbai. Leaders of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena said six MPs from the rival Sena (UBT) are likely to form a separate group and are expected to submit a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla. They will then merge with the Sena’s Lok Sabha unit, an HT report quoted Sena insiders as saying.4 - Who are the 6 Sena-UBT rebels: The above-mentioned insiders also said three Sena (UBT) MPs – Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh and Bhausaheb Wakchaure – arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday and did not respond to phone calls from party leaders. The six MPs who are likely to form a breakaway group are: Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Patil (Mumbai North East). However, this could not be independently verified.5 - Mamata's troubles: In West Bengal, Mamamta has faced a series of setbacks since the party's crushing defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently concluded Assembly elections. Before the rebellion by MPs, MLA Ritabrata Banerjee staked claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly with the backing of 58 lawmakers. The team of MPs features several TMC heavyweights like Saayoni Ghosh, Yusuf Pathan, Rachna Banerjee etc., apart from Kakoli Ghosh.