MUMBAI: Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs have reportedly formed a separate group in the Lok Sabha and are set to join deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on June 19, the party's foundation day.
The six MPs are: Aashtikar Patil Nagesh Bapurao (Hingoli), Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure (Shirdi), Omprakash Bhupalsinh alias Pavan Rajenimbalkar (Osmanabad), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East), Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav (Parbhani), and Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim).
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha. According to party functionaries, all MPs except Arvind Sawant (Mumbai South), Anil Desai (Mumbai South Central) and Rajabhau Parag Prakash Waje (Nashik) have joined the newly formed group.
The development comes amid reports of "Operation Tiger", an alleged effort to engineer a split in the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. The six MPs reportedly submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking recognition as a separate group. Sena (UBT) leaders Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Sanjay Raut also met the Speaker, urging him not to recognise any breakaway faction.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) has issued a whip directing all its Lok Sabha MPs to attend a parliamentary party meeting in Delhi on Thursday morning.
