Shiv Sena (UBT) rules out merger with Shinde camp, warns six defected MPs against any move

The Shiv Sena UBT has dismissed speculation about a possible merger with the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena and issued a formal communication to six Members of Parliament who defected to the rival faction reiterating that no such move has been authorised by the partyThe letter issued by Shiv Sena UBT Parliamentary Party leader in the Lok Sabha Arvind Sawant warns the MPs against making or supporting any claim of a merger without the approval of the party leadership A copy of the communication has also been forwarded to the Lok Sabha SpeakerLetter sent to six MPsThe communication has been addressed to Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar Sanjay Dina Patil Sanjay Jadhav Nagesh Ashtikar Sanjay Deshmukh and Bhausaheb WaghchaureAccording to the letter the Shiv Sena UBT has neither initiated nor approved any proposal to merge with the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena or any other political partySawant stated that the partys position has been clearly communicated by Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray adding that reports suggesting otherwise are incorrectParty cites constitutional provisionsIn the letter Sawant reminded the six MPs that they were elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2024 general elections on the Shiv Sena UBT ticket symbol and electoral mandateHe also noted that they had contested the elections against candidates fielded by the Eknath Shindeled Shiv SenaReferring to Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution Sawant stated that individual legislators do not have the legal authority to independently bring about a merger of a political partyAccording to the communication legislators can only decide whether to accept or reject a merger initiated by the original political party and cannot themselves initiate such a processParty responds to reports of merger bidThe letter was issued following media reports suggesting that Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar and other MPs had approached the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking recognition of a merger between the two factionsResponding to those reports Sawant wrote In the absence of any merger of the original political party no question of any merger of the legislature party arises Further no such merger is permissible or contemplated in lawThe Shiv Sena UBT has maintained that any claim of a merger without the approval of the original political party has no legal basisRepresentation submitted to Lok Sabha SpeakerThe party has also informed the Lok Sabha Speaker that no request seeking recognition of a merger or a separate legislative group involving MPs elected on the Shiv Sena UBT symbol should be entertainedAccording to the letter an authorised representative of the party was recently granted a hearing by the Speaker regarding the issueThe communication further states that as of now no order has been passed by the Speaker recognising any claim relating to a mergerParty reiterates opposition to mergerA copy of the letter sent to the six MPs has also been submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker to formally place the Shiv Sena UBTs objections on recordWith inputs from IANS