The rebellion within Shiv Sena (UBT) deepened on Sunday, with Hingoli MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar confirming that he had crossed over to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, even as party leader Sanjay Raut claimed that some dissident MPs remained in touch with the Uddhav Thackeray camp.
Ashtikar said his decision was driven by a lack of development funds for his constituency and recent remarks made against rebel MPs. In a video message, he said he had not abandoned his ideology, adding, “I have not gone anywhere. I just moved from Shiv Sena to Shiv Sena.”
He said being in the Opposition had affected work in his constituency. “People elected us with expectations, and getting their work done is my job. But I was not getting development funds. The Rs 5 crore MPLAD fund is very limited,” he said, adding that he was left with no option.
The political future of six dissident Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs is expected to become clearer in the coming days. Dharashiv MP Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar is likely to announce his stand after consulting supporters and party workers. He left Pune for Dharashiv under heavy police security and convened a meeting at Govardhanwadi village on Sunday.
A joint press conference by the six MPs is expected only after Nimbalkar takes a final call, possibly by Monday. The six MPs — Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure and Nagesh Patil Ashtikar — had skipped the Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentary party meeting in Delhi on June 17, triggering speculation that they may join the Shinde faction.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party has nine Lok Sabha MPs. Under the anti-defection law, at least six MPs, or two-thirds of the parliamentary party, would be required to avoid disqualification in the event of a split or merger.
Meanwhile, Raut claimed that some rebel MPs were still in contact with the party and were worried about public anger in their constituencies. “Some MPs are still in touch. They are scared because of the anger in their constituency,” he said, adding that talks were underway with at least two dissident MPs.
Raut said the MPs were technically still members of Shiv Sena (UBT), as neither the Lok Sabha Speaker nor the Shinde-led Shiv Sena had made any formal announcement on their status. He said while they had violated the party whip by skipping the parliamentary meeting, they had not publicly declared that they were leaving the party.
