Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sawant Urges Speaker to Block Party Split Amid 'Operation Tiger' Reports

Mumbai: In a preemptive move against potential rebellion within the party, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking intervention to block any attempts by party lawmakers to orchestrate a split or merger. The four-page petition, dated June 16, addresses media reports about "Operation Tiger", which suggest up to seven of the party's nine MPs may be considering defection to the rival Eknath Shinde faction or other political entities.

Sawant explicitly flagged that certain MPs have approached or are contemplating approaching the Speaker's office seeking recognition as a separate group or merger with another party. He emphasized that the parliamentary wing's existence depends entirely on the parent party and that constitutional framework does not permit multiple competing formations representing the same political party within the House.

The petition relies on constitutional law arguments, asserting there is no constitutional protection for a party split and citing the deletion of Paragraph 3 of the Tenth Schedule to support the position.