Team Uddhav MP Sanjay Raut is furious.
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT)’s six MPs are reportedly missing.
The party, it says, had informed, messaged, WhatsApped all its nine MPs to be present for an urgent meeting at the party’s parliament office in Delhi.
Only three – MPs Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje – turned up. And Sanjay Raut, the party’s lone Rajya Sabha MP, attended the meeting.
The buzz over another rebellion in the party has picked up.
Read | 3/9 MPs At Key Meet: The Six Who Can Break Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena, Yet Again
At least six of its nine MPs are reported to be in touch with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and may be considering a switch, reviving concerns of another split similar to the 2022 breakaway led by Shinde that divided the party into two factions.
Source say all six dissident MPs have signed a letter seeking a merger with the Shinde-led Sena and submitted it to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Shiv Sena (UBT) has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha and at least six will have to switch sides together to escape disqualification under the anti-defection law.
Read: How A Split In Uddhav Thackeray Camp Can Reshape Maharashtra And Delhi Politics
The missing MPs are: Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North-East), Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Bhausaheb Vakchaure (Shirdi).
Having abused the six missing MPs a day before, Sanjay Raut, the party’s go-to man in every crisis and known for his acerbic tongue, was seething.
“Unko MP banane waali party hai, karyakarta hai, jo sadak par ab utre hain aur utarte rahenge. Unko ghar main rehna mushkil hoga. On record bol raha hoon (It is the party and the workers who made them the MPs. Those very workers are now on the streets. It will become difficult for them (MPs) to stay at home. I am saying this on record),” Raut said at a press conference.
“Apne chunava kshetra main jaake dikhaye, agar jaayenge toh Bharat ki sena leke jaana padega (Go and show yourself in your constituency. If you do go, you will have to take the Indian Army along),” he threatened.
Raut accused Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and a former party rebel, of being behind the missing MPs’ saga.
“Ab jo nahi aaye hain, kahan hain, unka ata pata kya hai, kya Shinde ke gundo ne kidnap kiya hai, kidnap karke unhe kahan chupaya hai, kya unke life ko koi khatra hai, ab dekhna padega na (Now, as for those who haven’t turned up – where are they? Have (Eknath) Shinde’s goons kidnapped them? Where have they been hidden after being kidnapped? Are their lives in danger? We have to look into this now),” Raut said, adding: “Ye log kuch bhi kar sakte hain (These people can do anything).”
Read | Shiv Sena’s 60-Year-Old History Of Rebellions, Split: Will 2026 See A Replay?
“Communication nahi hua hai, lekin hamari poori jankari hai ki yeh log dilli main nahi hain (There has been no communication, but we are fully aware that these people are not in Delhi),” Raut said.
Asked if the party will approach the court, Raut, who was clearly not in a good mood, had some tough words for the Supreme Court and Election Commission.
“Dekhenge. Jo ho raha hai, usme gunahgaar Supreme Court bhi hai, desh main loktantra ki dhazziya uda rahe hai usme sabse pehle gunehgaar desh ka Supreme Court hai aur desh ka chunav aayog (We shall see. The Supreme Court is also culpable for what is happening. The Supreme Court and the Election Commission are the primary parties responsible for the way democracy is being torn to shreds in the country,” Raut claimed.
