MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena (UBT) faction has issued a fresh show-cause notice to its absentee Members of Parliament, warning them of potential disqualification. The party's Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, Anil Desai, has formally served notices to the concerned MPs, giving them a strict 24-hour deadline to submit a written explanation for their conduct.
The notice carries a stern warning, stating that if the MPs fail to respond within the stipulated time, the party will treat it as a voluntary relinquishment of membership. Subsequently, they will face action under the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, commonly known as the Anti-Defection Law.
Operation Tiger and Internal Divisions
Amid 'Operation Tiger,' a mass defection of UBT parliamentarians to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has pushed the party to the brink, exposing open hostility, absentee MPs, and threats of legal action. The crisis escalated on Thursday in New Delhi during a mandatory parliamentary party meeting called by the leadership, which witnessed a stark display of internal divisions.
Out of the party's nine Lok Sabha MPs, only three—Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, and Rajabhau Waje—attended the meeting convened by the party whips. The remaining six—Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure—remained absent.
Swift Action by UBT Faction
In response, the UBT faction moved swiftly to assert its authority. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut announced that show-cause notices had already been issued to the six absentee MPs, initiating the formal process that could lead to their disqualification from the Lok Sabha. "The process for taking action has started," Raut declared during a press conference. "We will make every effort to get them disqualified. If the Speaker of the Lok Sabha works according to the rules, the law, and the Supreme Court's directives, these people will be disqualified."
Background of the Crisis
The buzz surrounding 'Operation Tiger' gained momentum after Shiv Sena MLC Chandrakant Raghuvanshi claimed that six MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT) had expressed confidence in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and had already joined his faction. This development has further strained the already fragile unity within the party.
With agency inputs.
