Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said six Maharashtra Lok Sabha MPs allegedly accepted bribes to join Eknath Shinde's political faction.
The alleged defection threatens the stability of Uddhav Thackeray's party and highlights the ongoing volatility within Maharashtra's political landscape. A shift of this magnitude could alter the balance of power in the state's representation in the Lok Sabha.
Raut held a press conference to condemn the rebels, where he said that the MPs were offered ₹15 crore [1] each to switch sides. This financial incentive allegedly motivated the split, leaving Uddhav Thackeray with only four [2] remaining MPs after six [2] members reportedly rebelled.
Amid the defection buzz, three [3] Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs, including Raut, Anil Desai, and Arvind Sawant, met with Speaker Om Birla to submit a formal letter. The move comes as the party attempts to manage the fallout of the internal divide.
The situation remains fluid as different reports emerge regarding the exact number of legislators involved in the dispute. While some reports indicate a larger group of six [2] MPs have defected, other accounts focus on the smaller group of three [3] who approached the Speaker's office.
Raut used the press conference to denounce those who chose financial gain over party loyalty. The accusations of bribery have intensified the rivalry between the Thackeray and Shinde factions, further deepening the rift within the original Shiv Sena structure.
“Sanjay Raut said six Maharashtra Lok Sabha MPs allegedly accepted bribes to join Eknath Shinde's political faction.”
The alleged defection of six MPs for significant financial sums suggests a precarious internal structure for Shiv Sena (UBT). If these claims are verified, the loss of a majority of its Lok Sabha members would severely diminish Uddhav Thackeray's leverage in national politics and may signal a broader trend of opportunistic switching within Maharashtra's coalition-heavy environment.
