Shiv Sena (UBT) vows to contest Speaker’s nod to rebel MPs’ merger with Shinde camp

New Delhi – The Uddhav Thackeray‑led Shiv Sena (UBT) did not take the Lok Sabha Speaker’s recent ruling lying down. On Saturday, party leader Ambadas Danve declared that the decision to accept the merger of six UBT MPs with the Shinde‑led faction is "illegal" and will be taken to the courts.

The controversy stems from Speaker Om Birla’s formal acknowledgement that the six legislators have effectively become members of the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. That recognition, while seemingly routine, alters the arithmetic of the Lower House and adds fresh fuel to a feud that has been simmering since the Sena split in 2022.

"The approval is illegal. We will challenge the decision," Danve told reporters, citing the anti‑defection provisions of the Constitution’s Tenth Schedule. He argued that the law permits an entire political party to merge with another, but not a handful of individual legislators acting on their own.

According to the Tenth Schedule, a group of legislators can avoid disqualification only if at least two‑thirds of the members of a recognized party agree to a merger. Danve’s team maintains that the six MPs represent a splinter, not a party, and therefore should have formed a separate group before any realignment.

Supporters of the Shinde camp, however, waved away the criticism. Former MP Sanjay Nirupam, now a member of the Shinde‑led Sena, said the move was fully within the constitutional framework. "All six MPs parted ways with the Uddhav Thackeray‑led Sena in complete compliance with the anti‑defection law. Accordingly, the Lok Sabha Speaker has allowed the merger, and we welcome his decision," he said.

The dispute is more than a procedural squabble; it is part of a broader power struggle over the party’s name, symbol and parliamentary strength. Both factions have been entangled in a series of lawsuits since the split, each seeking to claim the legacy of the original Shiv Sena.

Legal experts note that the crux of the matter will be the interpretation of the anti‑defection law. If the court finds that a merger can only occur at the party level, the Speaker’s order could be set aside, potentially restoring the six MPs to the UBT bench. Conversely, a ruling in favour of the Shinde faction would cement their numerical advantage in Parliament.

For now, the UBT has filed a notice of intention to approach the Supreme Court, signalling that the battle is far from over. The political theatre in New Delhi, as always, is set to stage yet another episode of courtroom drama intertwined with parliamentary politics.