Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs skip parliamentary meeting, party considers action

Six Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena (UBT) failed to attend a parliamentary party meeting on Thursday, indicating deepening divisions within the party. Only three MPs — Lok Sabha floor leader Arvind Sawant, chief whip Anil Desai, and Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje — attended the meeting. Party sources said show-cause notices will be issued to the absent MPs.

The absent MPs include Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East), Omprakash Bhupalsingh Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure (Shirdi), and Nagesh Bapurao Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli). While Patil, Wakchaure, and Ashtikar told media on Wednesday they were not defecting, their absence from the 11 am meeting suggested they have aligned with the rebel camp.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) had issued a three-line whip directing all its Lok Sabha MPs to attend, warning of disciplinary action for non-compliance. Sawant stated that a show-cause notice will be issued to absent members, and further legal steps will follow. “Ultimately, the electorate will teach MPs rebelling against Balasaheb Thackeray’s party a lesson,” he said.

Desai told reporters that the party would formally seek an explanation from the absent MPs. “We will ask that since there was a whip that was issued to them, and since they said nothing about whether they are coming or not coming, so your absence is being seen in this way,” he said.

Reports indicate that two-thirds of the party’s Lok Sabha MPs are prepared to cross over, potentially to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law. The party has already approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him not to recognise any breakaway faction. Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders argue that under the Tenth Schedule, protection from disqualification applies only when at least two-thirds of the “original party’s” members merge with another party, and the legislature party supports the merger by a two-thirds majority.

Earlier, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut questioned the legitimacy of the Eknath Shinde-led faction, asserting, “Shiv Sena is where Thackeray is.” Speaking at a press conference with Sawant, Raut said the party had delivered the whip through multiple channels — home delivery, email, WhatsApp — and that the meeting was part of party procedure.

Raut accused the ruling establishment of engineering defections. “What kind of game is being played with democracy? You keep saving the government by breaking parties,” he said.

The rebel MPs are learnt to have passed a resolution stating they were leaving because the party had strayed from Balasaheb Thackeray’s principles and over concerns that it could merge with the Congress. The final decision on recognising any breakaway group rests with Speaker Birla.