Shiv Sena UBT Crisis: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday approved the merger of 6 MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT) with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, giving a big blow to Uddhav Thackeray's camp. The Speaker recognised the rebel MPs, who joined Shinde's faction after switching from Thackeray's Shiv Sena.
The development is seen as a major political blow for Thackeray, who already lost his party's name and symbol, following a revolt led by Shinde in 2022.
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The joining of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs to the Shinde faction has increased Eknath Shinde's power from Maharashtra to Delhi. The induction of MPs also strengthened the number tally of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha.
How Rebel MPs Evaded Anti-Defection Law
After the Lok Sabha Speaker recognised the joining of rebel MPs from the Thackeray faction to the Shinde's camp, these MPs overcame the fear of being disqualified. Under the anti-defection law, the rebel faction needed the support of six out of nine MPs, or two-thirds of the nine MPs, to avoid disqualification in the Lok Sabha. With the simultaneous joining of the six MPs to the Shinde faction, all MPs had already cleared the number hurdle. With this, the Shinde faction now has 13 MPs in the Lok Sabha, while Uddhav Thackeray's faction has only three MPs left.
NDA's Number Increases To 318
With the merger of 6 MPs, the NDA's number strength increased to 318 seats from 312 in the 543-member Lok Sabha, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) serving as the majority anchor. Earlier, seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs had joined the BJP.
Additionally, the Speaker also approved separate seating in the Lok Sabha for 20 MPs who broke away from TMC to form NCPI (Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI))