Lok Sabha Speaker recognises 6 rebel UBT MPs' switch to Shinde's Shiv Sena
In a major setback for Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has recognised the merger of six rebel MPs with the
In a major setback for Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT), Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has recognised the merger of six rebel MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, formally validating their switch under the anti-defection law ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session. With the Speaker's decision, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena's strength in the Lok Sabha has risen from seven to 13, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has been reduced to three MPs, according to the list released by the Lok Sabha Secretariat. Read Full Story The recognition comes nearly a month after the six parliamentarians broke away from the Uddhav camp and joined Shinde's party. Earlier this week, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said the induction was carried out in a "foolproof" and "legally sound" manner and expressed confidence that the Speaker would rule in favour of his faction.
"These six MPs have come with us with a two-thirds majority. After consulting legal experts, they met the Lok Sabha Speaker and completed every procedure, including submitting the required documents and video recordings," Shinde had said. He maintained that the merger fulfilled the requirements under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which permits a merger if at least two-thirds of the members of a legislative party support it. The Uddhav Thackeray camp had opposed the move, arguing that the split did not satisfy the legal requirement relating to the party's organisational structure. Shinde, however, insisted that all constitutional and procedural formalities had been complied with and that the final decision rested with the Speaker.
REVISED LOK SABHA NUMBERS The updated party position has also altered the overall arithmetic in the Lok Sabha. According to the revised figures NDA: 318 INDIA bloc: 181 Others: 41 The Lok Sabha currently has 540 sitting members, with three seats vacant. The effective strength of the House remains 540, meaning the government would require 360 MPs to secure the two-thirds majority needed for the passage of a constitutional amendment. The latest party position also reflects an increase of 20 MPs in the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) following its recognition as a separate parliamentary party by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, while the Shinde-led Shiv Sena now occupies the position of the larger Shiv Sena bloc in the House with 13 MPs.
The Speaker's decision comes just ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, beginning July 20, and further consolidates the Shinde-led Shiv Sena's position in the Lok Sabha. The recognition also marks another chapter in the prolonged battle for control of the Shiv Sena between the rival factions led by Shinde and Thackeray. Since the 2022 split, the two camps have been locked in political and legal disputes over the party's leadership, organisational control and electoral identity. Ends
The BriefWire