Mumbai:
The MPs are expected to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on June 19, the party’s foundation day, a move likely to boost the NDA’s numbers in the Lok Sabha. Sena functionaries claimed the process of forming the separate group had been completed smoothly and that the Speaker had recognised the six-member bloc.
Barring Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waze, all other Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs are understood to have joined the new group.
In a counter-move, Sanjay Raut, Sawant and Desai met Birla and urged him not to recognise any separate group formed by defecting Sena (UBT) MPs. The party has also issued a whip directing all its Lok Sabha MPs to attend a parliamentary party meeting in Delhi on Thursday at 11 am.
The whip, issued by Anil Desai, the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, said the meeting would discuss “various issues concerning the party”. Party functionaries said Uddhav Thackeray may also travel to Delhi to pacify the MPs and attend the meeting.
Late on Tuesday, Sawant had written to Birla, requesting him not to entertain any claim seeking recognition of a separate group or merger with another political party by MPs elected on the Sena (UBT) symbol.
Sawant said the party’s claim that Shiv Sena (UBT) represents the “real Shiv Sena” remains sub judice before the Supreme Court, and that his letter was being written without prejudice to that claim.
The developments come amid reports of “Operation Tiger”, allegedly aimed at engineering a split in the Sena (UBT) parliamentary unit.
