Lok Sabha speaker approves merger of six Uddhav Sena MPs with Eknath Shinde’s faction

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday approved the merger of six rebel MPs of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) with the rival faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, ANI reported.

The six of the Uddhav Sena’s nine MPs in the Lower House of Parliament had joined the Shinde-led faction on June 22. The Shinde Sena, which now has 13 Lok Sabha MPs, is part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance.

On Saturday, the speaker also accepted the request by 20 rebel MPs of the Trinamool Congress to sit separately in the Lok Sabha chamber. However, it appeared that the faction’s merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India in the Lower House had not been cleared.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the rebel TMC group’s request to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India was being considered by the speaker, ANI reported. However, Rijiju invited faction MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay for a floor leaders’ meeting on Sunday.

This ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which will begin on Monday.

Uddhav Sena split

The six rebel MPs had joined the Shinde-led faction, days after skipping a meeting of the party’s parliamentary group on June 18. The meeting was held a day after the Uddhav Sena alleged that its MPs were being...

Read more