The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday said it would challenge Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s decision to agree to a merger of six Lok Sabha MPs with the rival Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, PTI reported. They described this step as “illegal” and inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution.
The development comes after the Lok Sabha Speaker admitted the merger of six MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena with the Shinde-led faction, changing the party’s strength in the House and intensifying the political battle between the two rival Sena factions.
Also Read: Merger of 6 UBT MPs with Shinde Sena gets nod from Lok Sabha Speaker
Sena (UBT) questions the legality of the merger
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Dhanvi said the Speaker’s decision violates the anti-defection provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and will be challenged in court.
As per the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, any party can merge with another party but not with a group of legislators on its own, Dhanvi said, adding that the Shiv Sena’s dissident MPs (UBT) could have formed a separate group.
“The approval is illegal. We will appeal the decision,” Dhanvi said, according to PTI.
These statements came after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted the merger of the six MPs into the Shinde-led Shiv Sena party. The move widened the political divide between the two factions, which have been locked in a long legal and political battle since the party split in 2022.
Also Read: Shiv Sena UBT sends letter to 6 rebel MPs regarding ‘merger’ with Shinde camp
The dispute over the latest development centers on the interpretation of the anti-defection law under the Tenth Schedule, which sets out conditions under which lawmakers can avoid disqualification in the event of a merger or split. While the UBT holds that only one political party can merge with another, it maintains that a group of representatives cannot independently merge with another political formation.
However, the Speaker’s approval effectively recognizes the six MPs as members of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena party in the Lok Sabha.
Read also: Has India’s anti-defection law become the biggest weapon in the battle for power?
Shinde Sena welcomes the Speaker’s decision
The rival Shiv Sena faction defended the Speaker’s order, asserting that the merger was carried out strictly within the constitutional framework.
Sanjay Nirupam, a former MP and member of the Shinde-led Sena party, said the decision did not violate the anti-defection law.
“All six MPs (along with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena) parted ways within the full constitutional and legal framework of the anti-defection law. Accordingly, the Lok Sabha Speaker allowed the merger. We welcome the decision,” he said.
The Speaker’s decision marks another chapter in the ongoing dispute between the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde camps over control and recognition of the Shiv Sena. Since the party’s split, both factions have been engaged in multiple legal and constitutional disputes over the party’s name, symbol, and legislative power.
The latest dispute is also expected to revive questions over the interpretation of the anti-defection law, with the UBT indicating that it will seek judicial intervention against the Speaker’s order.
(With inputs from PTI)
