Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faces a major setback ahead of the monsoon session of the Lok Sabha. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla recognized the party switch of six MPs who joined Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s camp. Separate seats are also allotted for them in the conference room. All in all, some political circles feel that the strength of the NDA camp has increased before the monsoon session.
After a long impasse, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Yadav, Bhausaheb Walkchore, Nagesh Patil Astikar and Omprakash Raj Nimbalkar left the Uddhav group and joined the Shinde camp last month (June). Uddhav Thackeray’s party has reduced the number of Shiv Sena MPs from seven to three.
The opposition camp was angered after six MPs from the Uddhav faction joined Shinde’s camp. He claimed that it was unconstitutional to recognize a party change without the support of two-thirds of the party’s organizational structure. Some have even accused horse trading behind it.
However, Shinde had earlier mentioned that the merger was done following all constitutional and legal procedures. He also denied the allegations of financial transactions. His claim was upheld on Saturday.
As Shinde’s Shiv Sena grew in strength, so did the NDA’s numbers. According to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance currently has 318 MPs. The opposition India Alliance, including the Congress, has 181 MPs, with six MPs from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) joining the Shinde camp, reducing the alliance’s strength. The total number of MPs of other parties now stands
The Lok Sabha currently has 540 members. Three seats are vacant. As a result, the Constitution Amendment Bill requires the support of 360 MPs of the central government. The revised list shows that Sharad Pawar’s NCPO has been recognized as a separate parliamentary party. The number of their MPs has also increased
The Speaker’s decision ahead of the monsoon session of the Lok Sabha is seen as a major victory for the Shinde camp in the long political battle between the two Shiv Sena. Along with that, the strength of NDA has also increased.
