Six Sena (UBT) MPs formed separate group, informed Speaker Om Birla: Sanjay Shirsat

Amid continuing political turmoil within the Shiv Sena UBT Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat on Thursday claimed that six Lok Sabha MPs from the Uddhav Thackerayled party have formed a separate group and formally informed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla of their decisionThe claim comes amid escalating speculation over a possible split in the Shiv Sena UBTs parliamentary wing and allegations of an alleged Operation Tiger aimed at attracting MPs to the Eknath Shindeled Shiv SenaHowever the Shiv Sena UBT leadership has maintained that it will challenge any such move and has already initiated disciplinary action against MPs who skipped a key parliamentary party meeting in New DelhiShirsat claims six MPs have informed SpeakerSpeaking to reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Shirsat said the process of forming a separate parliamentary group had already moved forwardThe MPs have formed a separate group and informed the Lok Sabha Speaker Once the entire process is completed they will decide which party they wish to join If they want to merge with us the decision will be taken by Eknath Shinde Whatever decision he takes will be accepted by all of us he saidAccording to the minister the matter is now largely in the hands of the MPs involved and further decisions will be taken after procedural formalities are completedThe claim is significant because it comes at a time when the Shiv Sena UBT leadership is attempting to prevent a possible split in its Lok Sabha unitFuture merger decision rests with Shinde says ministerShirsat indicated that if the MPs decide to align with the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena the final decision regarding their induction would be taken by the deputy chief ministerHe suggested that the ruling Shiv Sena would await the completion of the parliamentary process before taking any formal decision on the future of the MPsThe ministers remarks add to claims made by leaders of the Shinde faction that a majority of Shiv Sena UBT MPs are prepared to move away from the Uddhav Thackeray campHowever there has been no official announcement from the alleged dissident MPs confirming such a moveSena UBT responds with whip and disciplinary actionThe claims emerged on a day when the Shiv Sena UBT convened a crucial parliamentary party meeting at its Parliament office in New DelhiAhead of the meeting the party issued a threeline whip directing all MPs to attendLok Sabha leader Arvind Sawant said the whip was formally delivered to all MPs through multiple channelsThe whip was handdelivered to the residences of the MPs and additionally transmitted via email and WhatsApp to ensure legal compliance The meeting was convened to assess the physical presence of the MPs in Delhi and to deliberate on key parliamentary strategies Sawant saidThe party later initiated disciplinary proceedings against MPs who failed to attend the meetingRaut warns rebels of political consequencesAddressing a joint press conference before the parliamentary party meeting Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut took a strong stand against those allegedly attempting to split the partyReferring to reports of defections he said Looking at the media atmosphere even though we officially have nine MPs it feels like 15 will turn up todayRaut said party chief Uddhav Thackeray was closely monitoring the situation and had issued clear instructions regarding the handling of the political crisisThe Sena UBT leader has repeatedly alleged that attempts are being made to engineer defections though no evidence has been publicly presented to support those claimsSharad Pawar extends support says RautRaut also claimed that NCP SP president Sharad Pawar had expressed solidarity with the Uddhav Thackerayled faction amid the crisisPawar Saheb has reached out and expressed his readiness to hold joint public rallies in the home constituencies of any rebel MPs This fight will be fought collectively by the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition including Shiv Sena UBT NCP SP and the Congress Raut saidThe statement signals that the opposition alliance is preparing to politically confront any lawmakers who decide to leave the partyPolitical uncertainty continuesThe latest claims and counterclaims have deepened uncertainty surrounding the future of the Shiv Sena UBTs parliamentary wingWhile leaders from the Shinde camp insist that six MPs have already formed a separate group and informed the Speaker the Uddhav Thackerayled faction has responded with disciplinary action showcause notices and warnings of possible disqualification proceedingsWith both camps hardening their positions the political and legal battle over the future of the MPs is expected to intensify in the coming daysWith inputs from IANS