Blow To Uddhav Faction: Speaker Om Birla Approves Merger Of 6 UBT MPs With Shinde’s Shiv Sena

Mumbai: In a major blow to the Uddhav Thackeray faction ahead of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday gave formal approval to the merger of 6 Shiv Sena UBT MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The recognition has increased the Shinde faction’s tally in the Lower House to 13, making it the BJP’s second-largest ally in the NDA after the TDP.

The decision was communicated through a circular issued by the table office of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, which outlined the revised party position in the 18th Lok Sabha following the change in party affiliation of 6 members of Shiv Sena (UBT). Amidst the BJP’s efforts to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to push through the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill, which covers the women’s reservation law and the delimitation exercises, deemed crucial.

The latest political development served another blow to the Uddhav Thackeray camp in its long-running battle with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over the Shiv Sena’s political and organisational identity. Following Om Birla’s decision, the Shinde group now formally holds the status of the larger Shiv Sena bloc in Parliament, while the UBT faction has been reduced to just 3 MPs.

Speaker’s Order Changes Lok Sabha Arithmetic

According to the revised list released by the Secretariat, the NDA’s strength now stands at 318, the INDI Alliance at 181, and other parties at 41. The Lok Sabha currently has 540 sitting members with 3 seats vacant, meaning the effective strength remains 540. To pass a constitutional amendment, the government would need the support of 360 members.

The speaker’s recognition also placed the Shinde-led Shiv Sena ahead in numbers within the party’s two factions, with the party’s strength rising from 7 to 13, while the Uddhav-led Shiv Sena UBT has slipped to 3. The Secretariat also acknowledged a separate parliamentary party for the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) (NCP SP), which saw its tally go up by 20 MPs.

‘Foolproof And Legally Sound’ Says Shinde

Notably, the 6 parliamentarians had switched sides nearly a month ago and joined the Shinde camp, with Eknath Shinde defending the move, saying all procedures had been followed.

"These 6 MPs have come with us with a two-thirds majority. After consulting legal experts, they met the Lok Sabha Speaker and completed every procedure, including submitting the required documents and video recordings," Shinde had said.

He stressed that the merger met the requirements of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, which allowed such a switch when at least two-thirds of a legislative party agree to it. "The merger fulfilled the requirements under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which permits a merger if at least two-thirds of the members of a legislative party support it," he maintained.

The Uddhav Thackeray faction opposed the decision, contending that the split did not satisfy the legal conditions concerning the party’s organisational structure. However, Shinde insisted that every constitutional and procedural formality had been completed and that the final authority lay with the Speaker.

Pending Decision On TMC Rebels

As the BJP seeks to muster support for key legislation in the coming session, the addition of 6 MPs to the NDA fold strengthens the numbers. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena is now the second largest ally of the BJP in the NDA after the TDP, which has 16 MPs in the Lower House.

However, the Secretariat’s circular made no mention of a similar request from the Trinamool Congress (TMC). A claim regarding the merger of 20 MPs from the TMC to the Nationalist Citizens Party of India has not been recognised. As per the list issued on Saturday, the Abhishek Banerjee-led TMC continues to be shown with 28 MPs, with the sources indicating that a decision on the rebel TMC group is likely on Sunday.

The Speaker’s ruling arrived just before Parliament reconvenes on July 20 and adds another chapter to the protracted dispute between the Shinde and Thackeray factions. Since the 2022 split, both sides have been engaged in political and legal contests over the party’s leadership, symbol, and control.