Eknath Shinde Meets Six Sena UBT MPs in Delhi; Arvind Sawant Writes to Speaker Against Split

Maharashtra's political situation intensified on Wednesday after reports that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met with six Lok Sabha MPs from Shiv Sena UBT in Delhi, sparking speculation about a possible party split under the proposed 'Operation Tiger.' The MPs reportedly arrived in Delhi Wednesday morning, and Shinde, also in the capital at the time, allegedly met them before departing for Jaipur.

The development prompted Shiv Sena UBT MP and parliamentary party leader Arvind Sawant to write to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging him to reject any request from defecting MPs seeking separate group recognition or merger with another party. Sawant emphasized that Shiv Sena UBT's claim as the 'real Shiv Sena' remains pending before the Supreme Court, arguing that recognizing a breakaway faction would be inappropriate while the matter is sub judice.