Mumbai, Jun 22: In a major political setback for Uddhav Thackeray, six of the nine Lok Sabha MPs from his Shiv Sena faction formally joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Monday, ending days of speculation over a possible split.
The MPs who crossed over are Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North-East), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), and Bhausaheb Vakchaure (Shirdi).
Welcoming the MPs, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde described them as “six tigers” joining the “real Shiv Sena” and compared the development to his 2022 rebellion, calling it a political “sixer.”
With the support of six out of nine MPs, the rebel group has crossed the two-thirds threshold required under the anti-defection law, reducing the risk of disqualification.
Shinde said the newly inducted MPs had expressed concerns over inadequate development funds in their constituencies and assured them that their regions would receive full support for development projects.
He also took a swipe at the Uddhav Thackeray faction, saying repeated criticism from his former colleagues had only strengthened his party.
Following the latest development, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena has further consolidated its position and emerged as the second-largest political party in Maharashtra.
