Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Skip Meeting Amid Merger Rumors

The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction faces a significant political challenge as six of its nine Lok Sabha members defied the party whip and missed a crucial parliamentary meeting. This mass absence has fueled speculation that these lawmakers might be considering a merger with the Congress party.

Following the defiance, the party has issued show-cause notices to the six MPs. According to sources, these MPs separately communicated with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, expressing their apprehension about a potential merger with the Congress. They are reportedly proposing the formation of a distinct parliamentary group.

The six MPs in question are Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Sanjay Dina Patil, and Omraje Nimbalkar. These lawmakers are expected to potentially merge with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction soon, according to a party leader. This situation intensifies the political drama ahead of the Sena's foundation day, which will be marked by separate events led by both Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.

This incident represents the third major political upheaval for the Thackeray faction, following similar vertical splits in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party in 2022 and 2023. The current development echoes a recent event where 20 Trinamool Congress lawmakers proposed merging with a smaller party to support the ruling coalition. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had hoped that MPs Sanjay Patil and Nimbalkar, who did not join the Shinde faction in 2022, would attend the meeting, but they were absent.

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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.