Mumbai: Amid the ongoing crisis in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and speculation that two-thirds of his party's Lok Sabha MPs are planning to shift allegiance to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray summoned all his MPs to Mumbai on Saturday. He will hold a meeting with them on Sunday.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) currently has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha. Any split in the party would require at least six MPs to meet the two-thirds majority mark, as per anti-defection laws. Political observers noted that the turnout on Sunday will be crucial, especially since some MPs, such as Sanjay Jadhav from Parbhani, have skipped recent party meetings.
Party functionaries indicated that reaching the two-thirds mark would not be easy, particularly as three of the party's MPs are from Mumbai and remain committed to Matoshree, the Thackeray family residence. The summons came on the same day as the birthday of Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray.
Rajabhau Waze, the party's MP from Nashik, confirmed he would attend the Sunday meeting. Waze stated, 'None of our MPs will leave Uddhavji. I have said this many times. No one has reached out to me, and there is no question of my leaving the party. People must not spread rumours and defame us. I am happy where I am. I will not leave Uddhavji as people chose us for a particular ideology and party.'
In recent months, several Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs have been seen meeting Shinde or other top leaders of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, fueling speculation of a potential split. Hingoli MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar recently visited Shinde at his official residence. Waje had a meeting with Shinde's son and MP Shrikant Shinde. Shirdi MP Bhausaheb Wakchaure met Industries Minister Uday Samant.
Parbhani MP Sanjay Jadhav stirred controversy last month by stating that 'economic calculations' are important in elections, making it impossible to predict future developments. At a public function, he said, 'I will never betray those who made me grow up, but the current situation has changed.'
In April, two Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs, Nagesh Ashtikar and Sanjay Deshmukh, attended a dinner hosted by Union Minister and rival Shiv Sena functionary Pratap Jadhav, sparking speculation of a rift within the party. The ongoing turmoil in the TMC has further fueled speculation about similar developments in the Shiv Sena (UBT).
