6 UBT MPs skip meet, may merge with Shiv Sena as split buzz haunts Thackeray faction

THe Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb william makepeace thackeray) appeared sure to turn a loss two-thirds of its Lok Sabha strength after sixer of its ennead members in the Lower House defied the party whip and skipped a meeting of the parliamentary unit on Thursday.The party issued show-cause notices to the six MPs, who separately wrote to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla and said they feared that the party would be merged with the Congress. In a four-page letter, the six MPs proposed to form a separate grouping, said a Shiv Sena leader. HT has not seen the letter.Also read: ‘Priya mitra Narendra…’: French President Emmanuel Macron's Hindi farewell message for PM Modi | WatchThe rebels – Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East) and Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv) – are expected to merge with the Shiv Sena soon, the Shiv Sena leader cited above said.Things are expected to come to a head on Friday, which marks the 60th foundation day of the Sena and will see separate functions led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.This is the third crisis in Maharashtra after vertical splits in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party in 2022 and 2023. The developments come roughly a week after 20 rebel lawmakers of the Trinamool Congress proposed merging with the little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India and backed the NDA, boosting the ruling coalition’s numbers in the Lok Sabha.Also read: ‘Cannot kill your way out’: JD Vance rebukes Israeli critics of US-Iran dealThe drama in Maharashtra began two days ago when some Sena (UBT) MPs stopped communicating with party leaders. Despite a whip, only three Lok Sabha MPs –– Arvind Sawant (Mumbai south), Anil Desai (Mumbai south central) and Rajabhau Waje (Nashik) –– and lone Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut attended the Sena (UBT) meeting in Delhi. The Sena (UBT) was hopeful that Sanjay Patil and Nimbalkar, both of whom did not join Shinde when he split the party in 2022, would attend the meeting but neither showed up. On Wednesday, Patil had said that he was with the Sena (UBT) but skipped the meeting on Thursday.“We are issuing notices seeking an explanation for their absence from today’s meeting. They must respond within seven days, after which we will explore legal options,” Sawant said after the hour-long meeting held at the party’s Parliament office. Later, the notice was issued to the rebel MPs by chief whip Anil Desai, asking them to respond within seven days.Six rebel MPs write to LS Speaker Separately, all six MPs wrote to Birla on Wednesday, saying their rebellion was triggered by the fear that the party would merge with the Congress, according to the Shiv Sena leader mentioned above.In the four-page letter, the MPs said that they had no faith in their party that had moved away from the ideology of founder Bal Thackeray. The Shiv Sena was not created to merge with Congress, the letter said.The letter said that the MPs took seriously the suggestion made by Raut to the Trinamool Congress to merge with the Congress. They expressed apprehension that Sena (UBT) too will follow the suit, adding that they had formed a separate group and intended to merge with the Sena.A senior Sena minister said the six MPs met Birla on Wednesday morning in the presence of MP Shrikant Shinde and Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik.The rebel MPs are scheduled to meet Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla next week. “There is a possibility that a seventh MP could also join the six others…” said a person aware of the details.The person, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the rebel group was not bound by the whip issued by the party to attend the meeting. “A parliamentary party meeting is not legislative business, inside the House, and therefore, the whip does not apply,” said the person quoted above.The person went on to add that the Supreme Court has upheld that a lawmaker’s conduct inside the House can be grounds for disqualification, particularly when it comes to voting against the party lines or if they give up membership of the party.Sena MP and spokesperson Naresh Mhaske said: “The Sena (UBT) MPs were demanding a meeting with party chief Uddhav Thackeray. They pleaded with parliamentary party leader Arvind Sawant who paid no heed. The MPs felt that their party would be merged with Congress and hence they decided to form a separate group.”If the merger goes through, the strength of the Sena in the Lok Sabha will rise to 13, making it the largest NDA constituent from Maharashtra in the Lower House.The rebel MPs also expected to meet Shinde in Mumbai ahead of the party’s foundation day celebrations on Friday. The senior Shiv Sena minister, cited abovesaid the rebel group is likely to wait for Birla’s decision on their letter before taking the next step.The Sena (UBT) warned that the rebel MPs will face strong protests from party workers. “Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray had instructed that if any MP defected to another party, he should be trampled on in the street,” said Sawant.Raut alleged that the rebel MPs had accepted large sums of money to switch allegiance. “They initially refused to board the chartered flight on Tuesday. They agreed only after receiving ₹15 crore in advance,” he alleged.“Are they really suggesting that the party founded by Bal Thackeray would merge with Congress? By saying that, they are implying that Thackeray Saheb would abandon his own identity and legacy. This is absurd,” he added.State minister and Sena spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said that Shinde will take a decision if the breakaway faction approaches the party. “All the rights are with Shinde saheb. He will take a decision if the six MPs approach us,” he said. Shirsat also blamed Raut for using abusive language against the rebel MPs. “Instead of convincing them, Raut started abusing them hence they skipped the party meeting.”In Yavatmal, party workers staged a demonstration against MP Sanjay Deshmukh, burning a symbolic effigy. Similar demonstrations were reported in Dharashiv, Shirdi, Parbhani and Hingoli. In Mumbai, a group of Sena (UBT) workers were denied permission by the police to protest outside MP Sanjay Patil’s house. There was tension in the Bhandup area as Sena (UBT) workers and Patil’s supporters came face to face shouting slogans. The Maharashtra government provided security equivalent to the Y Plus category to the six rebel MPs.