In a significant political development ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has formally approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction. This move has bolstered the ruling Shiv Sena’s strength in the Lok Sabha to 13 MPs.
An official communication from the Lok Sabha Secretariat updated the revised party positions in the 18th Lok Sabha, confirming the change in party affiliation of the six lawmakers from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT). The development marks a major realignment in Maharashtra politics and strengthens the BJP-led NDA’s position in the Lok Sabha.
Simultaneously, Speaker Birla has allowed separate seating arrangements in the House for 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs who broke away from Mamata Banerjee’s party. Led by veteran leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, these rebels had sought to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). While separate seating has been granted, a final decision on formally recognising their merger under the NCPI banner is still pending, with experts reviewing the legal and constitutional aspects.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has already extended invitations to the TMC rebel leaders to attend the government’s all-party floor leaders’ meeting, signalling potential further realignments before the session begins on July 20.
The decisions came two days ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, which will begin on July 20.
These shifts come at a crucial time as the NDA government gears up for key legislative business. With the TMC rebel faction announcing support for the NDA and the induction of the six Shiv Sena MPs, the ruling alliance has seen an increase in its numbers.
Now govt may be able to pass the Delimitation Bill and the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill related to women’s reservation, as there are intense speculations of support from NCP (Sharad Pawar) and DMK for the bills. The amendment requires support of two-thirds of MPs in Lok Sabha, which the NDA lacks, and therefore, the bill was not passed in April this year.
Notably, the DMK also sought a separate seating arrangement in Lok Sabha, away from the Congress, after Congress broke the alliance in Tamil Nadu and supported TVK. The speaker has not decided on the request yet, but is expected to accept the same.
Both TMC and Shiv Sena (UBT) have demanded that their rebel MPs should be disqualified. However, the speaker is unlikely to do so, as the number of rebel factions does not violate the anti-defection law.
