NEW DELHI: Only three of Shiv Sena (UBT)’s nine Lok Sabha MPs attended the party’s crucial parliamentary meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, intensifying speculation of an imminent split in the Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit. The low turnout came despite the party issuing a three-line whip directing all its MPs to be present at the meeting.Sena (UBT) MPs Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje attended the meeting, along with Sanjay Raut, the party’s lone Rajya Sabha MP. “Notice will be served (to MPs who didn’t attend the meeting). They will be asked why they didn’t attend the meeting despite a whip being issued in this regard,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai after the meeting.The reports suggest that a section of the party’s Lok Sabha MPs was exploring the possibility of breaking away and eventually aligning with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The political crisis deepened after reports suggested that 6 of the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s 9 Lok Sabha MPs had formed a separate group and submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking recognition.The move was widely seen as an attempt to test the strength of the rival camp and create the basis for disqualification proceedings against any lawmaker defying the party directive. The crisis erupted after speculation intensified that rebel MPs were seeking recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha. Under parliamentary rules, at least two-thirds of a legislature party’s members are required to break away and form a separate bloc. With Shiv Sena (UBT) having nine MPs in the Lok Sabha, the dissidents would need the support of six members to stake such a claim.The stakes were particularly high for Uddhav Thackeray, who has already witnessed one major split in the party when Eknath Shinde led a rebellion in 2022 that eventually brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra. Another successful breakaway would significantly weaken the Sena (UBT)’s parliamentary presence and political standing.Ahead of the meeting, senior leader Arvind Sawant urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla not to recognise any faction claiming to represent the party. At the same time, sources indicated that rebel leaders had informally reached out to the Speaker, claiming the support of six MPs.The showdown in Delhi was therefore seen as a decisive test of whether the dissident camp could muster the numbers required for a split or whether the Uddhav Thackeray leadership would retain control over its parliamentary party.
