Hit a sixer, says Eknath Shinde as 6 Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs join his Shiv Sena

SIx Lok Sabha MPs of the Shiv Sena (UBT) united the Shiv Sena, led by surrogate chief government minister Eknath Shinde, at an case in bombay on Monday, shrinking the rival Uddhav Thackeray-led party to just three parliamentarians in the lower house of Parliament.“The required process has been completed. All six MPs have joined the Shiv Sena. ‘Operation Tiger’ is a success,” Shinde announced at a press conference at the YB Chavan Centre in south Mumbai. The six lawmakers—Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Omraje Nimbalkar, and Sanjay Dina Patil—were present on the dais during the announcement.“We have completed legal, parliamentary and constitutional requirements,” Shinde said, responding to a question about whether Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has decided on the request by the breakaway group of six rebel Sena (UBT) MPs to merge with his party. There has been no formal announcement by the Speaker’s office yet.The Shiv Sena has been trying to woo the MPs for several months.As word about the Sena’s outreach to his MPs first emerged, Uddhav Thackeray called a meeting of the party’s nine Lok Sabha MPs on June 14. Only four of them turned up in person. Four more attended the meeting virtually, and only one skipped it.On June 17, the rebel MPs reached New Delhi and submitted a letter to Birla, declaring that they had formed a separate group and wanted to merge with the Shiv Sena led by Shinde.The Shiv Sena (UBT) hurriedly called a meeting of its parliamentary wing and issued a whip to all its MPs to attend the meeting in Delhi on June 18. However, the six rebel MPs skipped the meeting.The same day, Sena (UBT) chief whip in Parliament Anil Desai issued a show cause notice seeking their response within seven days. On June 19, Desai issued another notice demanding that the MPs respond within 24 hours. The party has not taken any further steps yet.On Monday, four MPs -- Ashtikar, Wakchaure, Jadhav and Deshmukh -- flew from Delhi to Mumbai in a charter aircraft and were taken to the deputy chief minister’s Malabar Hill residence. Sanjay Dina Patil and Omraje Nimbalkar drove to Shinde’s residence.From his official residence, Nandanvan, Shinde accompanied the six to Y B Chavan Centre where he formally welcomed them into the Shiv Sena.“The six MPs had joined Sena that believed in the principles of Balasaheb Thackeray and I welcome these dedicated Sainiks. I rebelled in June 2022 when 40 MLAs had joined me. Now we have hit a sixer. This is the second phase,” he said.Shinde said the six MPs had not joined for selfish motives but for their constituencies. He also said that their joining will strengthen the party, and the Sena would do its best to solve the problems of the people there.The deputy chief minister specifically mentioned Omraje Nimbalkar, saying he would support him in seeking justice for his father, Pawanraje Nimbalkar, who was murdered in 2006.Last week, a Mumbai special court acquitted eight people including former Maharashtra home minister Padamsinh Patil, 86, who faced murder charges in the murder case. Patil, the alleged mastermind behind the conspiracy and then with the undivided NCP, is the step-brother of deputy chief minister and NCP chief, Sunetra Pawar. The Central Bureau of Investigation has said it will appeal the verdict.Speaking about the grievances of the six MPs regarding developmental work in their constituencies, the deputy CM said he would soon organise a meeting of all ministers so that the problems of all MPs could be solved immediately,” he said.Shinde said that the six MPs will recontest on Shiv Sena tickets in 2029 and win again.Monday’s developments raise the Shiv Sena’s strength in the Lok Sabha from the existing 7 to 13 MPs. The realignment places the Sena on par with the Congress as the state’s largest legislative parties in the Lok Sabha. One Independent MP, Vishal Patil, is with Congress.Of the 48 Lok Sabha MPs from Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party has 9 MPs and its alliance partner, the Nationalist Congress Party, has one seat. The NCP (SP) has 8 MPs and the Shiv Sena (UBT) is left with just 3 MPs.In 2022, Shinde had exited the Shiv Sena with 40 Sena MLAs and 10 Independents; later, he walked away with 13 more MPs. Many corporators had also left the party with him at the time.