With just two days to go before the Monsoon Session of Parliament begins, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has officially recognised the merger of six rebel MPs from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray- UBT) into the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena. An official communication from the Lok Sabha Secretariat updated the party positions in the Eighteenth Lok Sabha to reflect the change.
The Speaker has also approved separate seating in the Lok Sabha for 20 MPs who broke away from the Trinamool Congress to form the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). However, their merger is yet to be recognised. Birla's decision is a setback for Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, reducing his party's strength in the Lok Sabha to just three MPs. The ruling, however, boosts the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, taking its strength in the Lower House to 13 MPs and further consolidating its position as the recognised faction.
The decision also strengthens the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), increasing its strength in the Lok Sabha from 292 to 298 MPs. Birla ruled on the matter after weeks of political and legal wrangling following the internal rebellion in the Shiv Sena (UBT) in mid-June 2026, which triggered proceedings under the anti-defection law.
The rift became public on June 14 when Uddhav Thackeray convened a meeting of his nine Lok Sabha MPs, but only four attended. By June 17, six MPs — Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure and Nagesh Patil Ashtikar — had formally severed ties with the Shiv Sena (UBT). The Shiv Sena (UBT) subsequently issued party whips and successive show-cause notices to the rebel MPs. Senior leaders Arvind Sawant and Anil Desai also approached the Lok Sabha Speaker, filing a formal caveat and seeking a hearing.
They argued that individual MPs could not execute a merger under the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection law) without a formal resolution by the political party. On June 22, photographs of the six rebel MPs meeting Birla at his residence surfaced, signalling the finalisation of their move to the Eknath Shinde faction.
Shinde hailed the development as "Operation Tiger" and defended the rebels, saying they had switched sides not for personal gain but to secure development funds for their constituencies. After examining representations from both factions for nearly a month,Birla formally recognised the merger on Saturday.
