Only three Lok Sabha MPs attended a Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi on Thursday [1].
The low turnout highlights a growing internal crisis for the party and suggests a decline in the leadership influence of Uddhav Thackeray. With the majority of the party's lower house representatives absent, the gathering underscores the fragility of the party's current parliamentary standing.
Attendees included MPs Anil Desai, Arvind Sawant, and Raja Bhau Vaze from the Lok Sabha, along with Sanjay Raut from the Rajya Sabha [1]. The meeting was convened to address the internal instability of the group and the possibility that dissident members might form a separate entity [2].
Of the nine Lok Sabha MPs belonging to the Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentary party, only three were present [1]. This attendance gap follows reports that six rebel leaders have already formed a separate group [2].
The instability within the party coincides with broader political shifts in the region. A minister from Uttar Pradesh said that 25 to 26 members of the Samajwadi Party are ready to join the Bharatiya Janata Party [2].
While the New Delhi meeting sought to stabilize the Shiv Sena (UBT) ranks, the absence of six Lok Sabha members suggests a deepening rift. The party now faces the challenge of maintaining its legislative presence as dissident members seek alternative alignments, a trend mirroring the volatility seen in other regional parties.
“Only three of nine Lok Sabha MPs attended a key parliamentary party meeting.”
The failure of the Shiv Sena (UBT) to secure the attendance of its Lok Sabha members indicates a significant loss of cohesion. When a parliamentary party cannot mobilize its own members for a crisis meeting, it weakens its bargaining power in New Delhi and increases the likelihood of further defections to rival factions or parties.
