Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs skip meeting, party seeks disqualification of six rebels

Six of the nine Lok Sabha members of the Uddhav Thackeray‑led Shiv Sena (UBT) faction missed a parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi on June 18, prompting accusations of an imminent defection to the Eknath Shinde‑led Shiv Sena. The absent MPs – Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Omraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Jadhav and Bhausaheb Wakchaure – are reported to have submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting recognition as a separate group and indicating a merger with the Shinde faction.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut called the boycott a violation of the party whip and announced that show‑cause notices would be issued, giving the rebels seven days to explain before the party approaches the speaker for their disqualification under the anti‑defection law. The legality of the whip for an internal meeting is being contested, with the Shinde camp noting that the Tenth Schedule applies only to votes within the House. The matter is also before the Supreme Court.

If the six MPs are disqualified, the Uddhav Thackeray faction would be left with only three Lok Sabha MPs, potentially reshaping its parliamentary strength and influencing Maharashtra’s political alignment.