Thackeray camp suffers blow as LS approves merger of 6 rebel Shiv Sena MPs into Shinde faction

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has approved the merger of six rebel MPs, who broke away from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, into the Eknath Shinde‑led faction. This decision, endorsed by Speaker Om Birla, ends the disqualification threat against the MPs and strengthens Shinde’s camp in Parliament.

New Delhi/Mumbai:  In a major political development, the Lok Sabha Secretariat on Saturday took a significant decision regarding the six rebel MPs who broke away from the Uddhav Thackeray‑led Shiv Sena to support Eknath Shinde’s faction. The Secretariat has officially approved the merger of this six‑member rebel MP group into Shinde’s Shiv Sena.

Consequently, these six MPs, formerly aligned with Uddhav Thackeray, have now officially become MPs of the Shinde‑led Shiv Sena. With this development, the Thackeray camp received a major blow.

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The six MPs from the Thackeray faction, Omraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, and Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, had initially formed a separate group. Subsequently, this group merged with Shinde’s Shiv Sena.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has now officially approved this merger. As a result, the disqualification threat looming over these six MPs has ended, and they will now function as official MPs of the Shinde faction. This development comes ahead of the commencement of the monsoon session of Parliament from July 20.

Reacting to the development, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde said the decision was taken in the interest of development work in constituencies.

He added that the six MPs joined his faction to advance their respective constituencies, and that substantial development funds would be allocated to them.

Ever since the six MPs rebelled against the Thackeray faction, questions were being raised about their political future. Anticipating the rebellion, the Thackeray faction had initiated legal proceedings.

The Thackeray group consistently claimed that, no matter what happened, the rebel MPs would lose their Lok Sabha membership. However, the latest development has dealt a severe blow to the Thackeray camp with the official approval of the merger. The decision was finalised by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

The six rebel MPs had distanced themselves from the Thackeray faction, formed a separate group, and submitted a formal letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker.

On the other hand, the Thackeray faction had also written to the Speaker, asserting that their party had not taken any decision to merge with any other entity and remains an independent party. They had requested the Speaker to hear their side before making any final decision. Despite their pleas, the latest ruling has come as a massive setback for the Thackeray group.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has approved the merger of the separate group formed by the six rebel MPs into the Shinde faction. With this, the six rebel MPs are now officially a part of Shinde’s party, thereby boosting the Shinde faction’s strength in the Lok Sabha. Following the rebellion, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has issued an official circular confirming the merger.

Following this blow, all eyes in Maharashtra are now on the Thackeray faction’s next move. Thackeray faction leader Ambadas Danve, former Leader of Opposition (Council), said they would not let the matter rest and would fight the upcoming legal battle.