According to media reports, a section of Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs is allegedly in contact with the faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. These reports suggest that a group within the party may be exploring a shift in allegiance, with claims that up to six of the party’s nine Lok Sabha MPs could be aligned with the breakaway camp. However, these assertions remain unverified.
In response, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has directed all nine Lok Sabha MPs to attend the meeting in Delhi without exception. The party has also issued a strict three-line whip, making attendance mandatory and warning of disciplinary action against any absence without valid justification.
A three-line whip represents the highest level of party instruction in parliamentary practice, binding MPs to attend and adhere to the party’s official position.
Reports further claim that the rebel faction has reached out to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in an attempt to assert numerical strength and establish procedural legitimacy. However, there has been no official confirmation from either the Speaker’s office or party leadership regarding these developments.
The situation has drawn immediate parallels with the 2022 political crisis in Maharashtra, when a major rebellion led by Eknath Shinde split the Shiv Sena and resulted in the collapse of the then Uddhav Thackeray-led government. Analysts believe the current developments reflect a renewed effort by the UBT leadership to prevent any repetition of that political setback.
Today’s meeting is therefore being closely watched as a decisive moment for the faction’s unity. A full attendance would signal cohesion within the Shiv Sena (UBT), while any absence or defection could deepen concerns of another organisational split.
As the meeting unfolds, Maharashtra’s political establishment remains on edge, awaiting clarity on whether the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction can hold its parliamentary ranks together or faces another internal rupture.