In a major setback for Uddhav Thackeray, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday approved the merger of six rebel MPs of Shiv Sena (UBT) into the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The decision formally authorises the MPs' switch as per the anti-defection law just a few days ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session, for which the BJP-led NDA government is aiming to increase their tally in the Lok Sabha to get the Women's Reservation and Delimitation bills passed.
The approval formally recognises the six MPs as members of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the Lok Sabha, marking another significant development in the party's prolonged internal split.
Shinde Sena's tally rises in Lok Sabha
The decision comes nearly a month after the six MPs split from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and joined the Shiv Sena headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, taking the Shinde faction's strength in the Lok Sabha to 13.
Additionally, the Lok Sabha Speaker approved separate seating arrangements for 20 MPs who broke away from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to form the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), formally recognising the group's distinct presence in the House.
Who are the rebel MPs?
Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs -- Sanjay Dina Patil from Mumbai North East, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar from Dharashiv, Sanjay Deshmukh from Yavatmal-Washim, Sanjay Jadhav from Parbhani, Bhausaheb Wakchaure from Shirdi and Nagesh Patil Ashtikar from Hingoli crossed over to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde on June 22.
The Speaker's decision comes just ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which begins on July 20, and further strengthens the Shinde-led Shiv Sena's presence in the Lok Sabha.
The move also marks the latest development in the long-running power struggle between the rival factions led by Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray. Since the party split in 2022, both camps have been engaged in a series of political and legal battles over the Shiv Sena's leadership, organisational control and electoral identity.
