Speaker Birla Approves Merger of Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs into Shinde-Led Party
Ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, or UBT) MPs with the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. This decision reduces the strength of the Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Lok Sabha to three MPs.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a circular on Saturday (July 18, 2026) updating the party's revised strength. According to the circular, the Shiv Sena, with floor leader Shrikant Eknath Shinde, now has 13 MPs. The six MPs who sought the merger are Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Dina Patil, Bhausaheb Wakchoure, Omraje Nimbalkar, and Sanjay Bandu Jadhav. Their request had been pending with the Speaker, and the circular effectively acknowledges the merger.
In a separate development, Speaker Birla also approved the request of 20 Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs to sit separately during the session. These MPs had earlier declared they had joined the National Citizens Party of India (NCPI) after a split in the TMC. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju wrote to TMC rebel leader Sudip Bandopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, inviting them to a meeting of floor leaders on Sunday (July 19, 2026). Rijiju stated that he has requested the Speaker to recognise the NCPI, a matter under consideration.
In his letter to Bandopadhyay, Rijiju sought cooperation for the smooth functioning of both Houses during the monsoon session, which begins on Monday (July 20, 2026) and runs until August 13. The government has listed seven Bills for consideration, including the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to penalise intentional insult or disruption of the singing of the national song Vande Mataram; the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, proposing stricter rules for delayed registration; the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikaran Bill; and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill.
