After the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC experienced a split, signs of rebellion are now brewing in the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction, led by Uddhav Thackeray. The party has urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla not to recognise any rebel faction as the legislature party.
Letter to Speaker
Shiv Sena UBT leader Arvind Sawant on Tuesday night sent a letter to Speaker Om Birla, highlighting reports that a section of Sena UBT MPs may break away from the parent party and express their wish to support another party or bloc, reportedly the BJP-led NDA.
The letter states: "The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) continues to be recognised as a single political party represented in the House through its duly authorised leader and whip, and that no separate recognition, status, privilege or facility be accorded to any purported faction or breakaway group claiming to represent the party; no decision be taken on any such request, if received, without first affording the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) an opportunity to place its submissions before your office. The party further reserves all rights available to it in law, including the right to invoke the provisions of the Tenth Schedule and pursue such remedies as may be necessary in relation to any conduct inconsistent with the constitutional principles referred to above."
Constitutional Basis
The letter quotes the Subhash Desai versus State of Maharashtra judgment of 2023 in detail, arguing that the Constitution envisions a single political party, not competing factions, and that the legislature party derives its existence from the political party.
Political Developments
It is learned that some Sena UBT MPs are currently in Delhi, and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is also arriving in the capital. Action has shifted to Delhi with Sawant and another senior Sena UBT leader present.
Talks of a potential rift in the Sena UBT intensified after five of the nine Lok Sabha MPs skipped a recent meeting called by Uddhav in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, buzz in political circles suggests that another split in Uddhav's camp is not ruled out after the Shiv Sena marks its 60th foundation day on June 19.
