End of the road for Uddhav Sena? Rebel MPs likely to announce split today

All six rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs are expected to jointly announce their break from the party today. The move could be followed by a meeting with Eknath Shinde and further outreach to the Lok Sabha Speaker.

In Short

• The 6 rebels plan to release videos, photos and their letter to Speaker Om Birla
• They may explain the reason behind their departure from Shiv Sena (UBT)
• This comes amid buzz that the rebel MPs will join Eknath Shinde's Sena

After days of intense speculation, allegations, and vile jibes, the split in the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) camp is likely to be formally announced today.

According to sources close to the developments, the rebel MPs will jointly hold a press conference on Sunday, where they will release photographs and video footage of their meeting with the Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, along with a copy of the letter submitted to him. They are also expected to cite the reason behind their departure from the Uddhav Thackeray camp.

The political circles in Maharashtra have witnessed a dramatic turn of events after the defection buzz grew in the Uddhav Thackeray camp. The six rebel MPs, including Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh, Omraje Nimbalkar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar and Sanjay Dina Patil, first flew to Delhi from different parts of the country on June 16 and stayed at a hotel in Noida. As per sources, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena supremo Eknath Shinde and his son Shrikanth Shinde also arrived in Delhi on the same day.

The next morning, both Shrikanth and Nimbalkar met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at around 7 am. At around 10.20 am, the other five MPs met the Speaker and submitted a letter stating that they were merging with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and requested that their seating be changed in the House. Following the second meeting, the MPs flew to different locations, including Chennai, Varanasi, Pune, and Mumbai.

In today's press conference, two MPs will arrive in Mumbai from Chennai and two from Kolkata, while one MP is already in Mumbai and another is in Pune. After the press conference, all six rebel MPs may meet Eknath Shinde. If required, they could seek another meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

THE GROWTH OF THE DEFECTION BUZZ

The episode started with a meeting that was held in his residence, Matoshree. Five MPs were reportedly absent from the meeting, which intensified speculation about Operation Tiger, an alleged poaching attempt spearheaded by Shiv Sena (Shinde).

As the buzz grew, Sanjay Raut, Uddhav's long-term aide, and the party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut tried to dismiss any such growth, saying that five absent MPs joined the meeting virtually and one would speak to Thackeray over the phone.

However, his efforts barely bore any fruit as Sanjay Jadhav, one of the rebel MPs, was seen holding a meeting with Prataprao Jadhav, a Union Minister from the Eknath Shinde camp. Although the MP clarified that it was strictly a non-political meeting, it triggered the row further.

APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY, SANJAY RAUT'S EXPLOSIVE CLAIMS

As the MPs headed for Delhi, Sanjay Raut made an explosive claim that all the rebel MPs are being poached at the expense of a lump-sum amount of money. He also said that the MPs were flown to Delhi via chartered jets.

Raut also launched a profanity-laden attack on the rebel MPs and asked the mediapersons not to beep out the words he used for the MPs. He further mentioned that the party would not spare the backstabbers.

TMC LIKE SPLIT AND NUMBER GAME

As speculation over the split intensified, analysts drew parallels between the earlier split in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the emerging split-like situation within Uddhav Sena.

Like the rebel MPs in the TMC, the Uddhav Sena MPs also formed a bloc, met Speaker Om Birla, and also asked for a separate seating arrangement in the Lower House of Parliament. Speculation is high that the rebel MPs might merge with the Shinde Sena like the rebel faction in the TMC merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India.

The expected split will not only provide a setback to Uddhav Thackeray, who challenged the BJP in the state in the last few years, but will also provide a boost to the NDA's numbers game, which is needed to support key bills in the upcoming Monsoon Session.

- Ends