Shiv Sena celebrates 60 years as party cracks down on six rebel MPs

On 19 June, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena marked the party’s 60th anniversary, urging supporters that “this Mumbai is ours” and condemning past attempts to weaken the organisation. The party’s editorial highlighted its Marathi‑and‑Hindu identity, its grassroots service network and its resistance to “opportunistic” rivals.

At the same time, Shiv Sena leadership announced a disciplinary drive against six Lok Sabha members alleged to have contacted the rival Shinde faction. Only three MPs – Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Vaje – attended a parliamentary party meeting. The remaining six – Omraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Ashtikar, Bhausaheb Wakchoure and Sanjay Dina Patil – were served “show‑cause” notices with a seven‑day deadline. Party spokesperson Sanjay Raut warned that their memberships could be revoked and that the matter might be taken to the courts or even the Supreme Court if necessary.