Overview
- Eknath Shinde, who issued a statement Friday, called reports of a secret Thane meeting with Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs baseless and aimed at creating sensation.
- UBT leaders rejected talk of a split as Sanjay Raut said all nine Lok Sabha MPs remain with Uddhav Thackeray and Arvind Sawant displayed a written pledge not to join the rival Sena.
- Leaders from the Shinde camp, including Union minister Prataprao Jadhav and MP Naresh Mhaske, argued that UBT MPs and MLAs are unhappy and could eventually cross over.
- Anonymous accounts claimed a Voltas premises meeting in Thane and suggested at least six MPs would be needed to move in order to avoid disqualification under India’s anti-defection law.
- No crossovers are confirmed, and the speculation sits in the shadow of the 2022 Shiv Sena split and a Supreme Court hearing later this month on the party name and symbol dispute.