Photos show Uddhav Sena MPs met Om Birla days before switch to Shinde camp
Nearly three weeks after six Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs crossed over to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath
Nearly three weeks after six Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs crossed over to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, exclusive photographs have surfaced showing the rebel lawmakers meeting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla days before the split became public. The photographs, accessed by India Today, show the MPs meeting Speaker Om Birla on June 17. Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Eknath Shinde, and Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik were also present during the meeting. Read Full Story According to sources, Omraje Nimbalkar reached the meeting venue at around 6.30 am.
The images have now surfaced amid continued political debate over the circumstances leading to the split in the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s parliamentary wing. HOW OPERATION TIGER WAS EXECUTED The rebellion had been preceded by days of speculation after six MPs skipped a key parliamentary party meeting convened by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in New Delhi. At the time, only three Lok Sabha MPs of the party attended the meeting, while the absence of the remaining lawmakers fuelled rumours of an imminent defection. Earlier, a separate meeting called by Thackeray at his Mumbai residence, Matoshree, had also witnessed the absence of several MPs, including Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Deshmukh, Omraje Nimbalkar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure and Nagesh Patil Ashtikar.
While the party maintained that the leaders had participated virtually, reports suggested that Thackeray had directly spoken only to Ashtikar. The political temperature rose further after Yavatmal-Washim MP Sanjay Deshmukh was seen meeting Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav, a leader from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Deshmukh later clarified that the meeting was related to constituency work and not politics. DEFECTION THE FINAL NAIL? On June 22, all six rebel Lok Sabha MPs formally joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, marking a split in the Uddhav Thackeray-led party's parliamentary wing. The defections came amid claims and counterclaims over the alleged Operation Tiger.
While Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had dismissed speculation of a rebellion, saying Operation Tiger had failed, the newly surfaced photographs are likely to intensify the political row over the events that preceded the MPs' switch to the ruling Shiv Sena. Ends
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