12 PRO-SHINDE MPS MEET LS SPEAKER, RAHUL SHEWALE NEW LEADER IN LOWER HOUSE

In another setback for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction, 12 of 18 Shiv Sena MPs supporting Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde handed over a memorandum on Tuesday to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting Rahul Shewale as Shiv Sena leader in Lok Sabha.

Later, Shinde told reporters, “Speaker Om Birla has recognised Rahul Shewale as Shiv Sena leader in Lok Sabha.”

The 12 Sena MPs supporting Shinde met Speaker at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Shinde told reporters in Delhi that “12 of our MPs met the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and handed him a

memorandum stating Rahul Shewale , MP, is the leader in the Lok Sabha.” He further said the party “contested together with the BJP in 2019 and now have come together according to the mandate given to Shiv Sena and BJP in 2019.” “We have the full support of our honourable PM Narendra Modi,” he said, adding the prime minister has “assured us of his full support to the people of Maharashtra.”

He further said, “Shiv Sena MPs too have supported us in our stand to uphold ideals of Balasaheb Thackeray.”

Rahul Shewale, the new Shiv Sena leader in Lok Sabha accused Uddhav Thackeray of going back to his word on reforming ties with the BJP. “Uddhav Thackeray was keen on realigning with BJP, but went back on his word,” he said. “We had asked Thackeray not to support Margaret Alva for VP’s post, but our views were ignored,” he added.

The pro-Shinde 12 MPs are — Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane, Sadashiv Lokhande, Hemant Godse, Hemant Patil, Rajendra Gavit, Sanjay Mandlik, Shrikant Shinde, Shrirang Barne, Rahul Shewale, Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav, Krupal Tumane, Bhavna Gawli.