Shiv Sena (UBT) Turmoil: Six MPs Absent from Meeting, Face Action

Six Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction skipped a parliamentary party meeting convened by Uddhav Thackeray in New Delhi on Thursday, deepening a rift within the party. The absent MPs—Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Sanjay Dina Patil, and Omraje Nimbalkar—were served show-cause notices, party sources said.

The move has intensified speculation that the six lawmakers may join the rival Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. However, a formal switch, earlier expected during the party's 60th foundation day celebrations on Friday, has been deferred, according to PTI sources.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut criticised the absent MPs, stating that those betraying the party must face consequences. “In every party, whoever is dishonest, whether in Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, Shiv Sena, or the Nationalist Congress Party, they deserve to be dealt with in this same language,” he told PTI.

Sources close to the dissenting MPs indicated that their grievances stem from leadership issues within the Shiv Sena (UBT). In a proposed communication to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, they are expected to highlight a pattern of leaders leaving the party due to disagreements, including Narayan Rane's exit in 2005, Raj Thackeray's departure in 2006, and Eknath Shinde's rebellion in 2022.

The crisis marks another chapter in the ongoing split within the Shiv Sena, which first fractured in June 2022 when Eknath Shinde led a rebellion, taking a majority of MLAs with him to form a government with the BJP. The current developments could further weaken Uddhav Thackeray's position ahead of the next general election.