With the impending split in the Shiv Sena parliamentary party, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met 12 MPs from the breakaway faction of Shiv Sena MPs in Delhi on Tuesday, 19 July.
Additionally, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's son and Lok Sabha member from Kalyan Shrikant Shinde along with Lok Sabha Member from Hingoli Hemant Patil met Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday.
Although it was not immediately clear whether Shinde and Patil had submitted a representation to Birla, this comes amid speculations that the Shinde faction is set to appeal to the Speaker to recognise them as a separate group.
The meeting came a day after Shiv Sena leader Vinayak Raut appealed to the speaker to not entertain any representation from the rival faction.
At least 12 Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena are learnt to have been in touch with the Shinde faction and are keen to replace Raut, the current floor leader of the party, with Rahul Shewale.
Meanwhile, Sena leader Sanjay Raut asserted that action will be taken against those MPs who attend the meeting with Shinde.
“Whatever is going on could at best be termed as Comedy Express Season 2. Shiv Sena is a recognised political party. The breakaway faction does not have any right to dissolve the national executive,” Raut said.
This follows on the heels of Shinde announcing a new national executive of the party.
Shinde's New National Executive Retains Uddhav as Shiv Sena Chief
Maharashtra CM Shinde had announced on Monday a new national executive of the party, comprising the Shiv Sena leaders who had rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray last month.
Notably, Thackeray was retained as the president of Shinde's national executive.
The Eknath Shinde-led faction had held a meeting with Shiv Sena MLAs in Mumbai on Monday and passed a resolution electing the CM as the leader of Shiv Sena.
Following the meeting, the Shinde faction announced the formation of a new national executive of Shiv Sena and dissolution of the earlier executive formed by Uddhav Thackeray.
CM Eknath Shinde was elected as the chief leader of the Shiv Sena party. However, the post of Shiv Sena party chief, held by Uddhav Thackeray, was not dissolved.
“Uddhav Thackeray has been retained as the party president, but Shinde will be the ‘mukhya neta’. Other organisational appointments, including the appointment of Anandrao Adsul and Ramdas Kadam as the party’s leaders have also been approved,” a Shiv Sena MP from the Shinde camp was quoted as saying by The Hindustan Times.
Ramdas Kadam and Anandrao Adsul had resigned from the party on Monday, soon after which they had been sacked by Thackeray.
Shinde, who had led a rebellion within the Shiv Sena's ranks, was sworn-in as chief minister on 30 June with the support of the BJP. He has the support of 40 of Shiv Sena's 55 MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly and Speaker Rahul Narwekar has recognised the faction as the Legislature Party.
(With inputs from PTI and The Hindustan Times.)
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