Fresh setback for Uddhav Thackeray? 12 Shiv Sena MPs to join Shinde camp, says report

Fresh setback for Shiv Sena as a group of 12 party MPs on Monday decided to form a separate group in Lok Sabha, a party MP said.  

The decision comes after the MPs attended the ‘national executive’ called by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on July 20.

Meanwhile, Sena`s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut called several MPs to his home in the national capital to disprove the reported claims by the Shinde group, and termed the fresh development as `Comedy Express 2` after the `Comedy Express 1` with MLAs was played out in Mumbai.

Questioning the locus standi of the Shinde group, another Sena MP, Arvind Sawant, termed the claims as "desperate attempts to create confusion" in the party and among the masses, and said that such tactics won`t succeed.

The two MPs reiterated that the issue of 16 MLAs` disqualification is like a "hanging sword" even on Shinde, owing to which he has not been able to take up Cabinet expansion even 19 days after taking the oath as Chief Minister on June 30.   

The 12 MPs also claimed that a new national committee has been appointed replacing the one appointed by Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

However, the Shinde faction spokesperson Deepak Kesarkar has denied the formation of any national committee replacing the existing one appointed by Thackeray.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on July 20 a batch of pleas pertaining to the recent happenings in Maharashtra that led to the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

(With inputs from agencies)

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