However, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar has declared that this faction is the “real Shiv Sena” and not the one led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. After a rift in the party, the Speaker made the decision after reviewing the cross-petitions from the two Sena groups asking for the disqualification of each other’s MLAs.
In June 2022, Shinde staged a coup that split the party that Bal Thackeray had founded in 1966. With the bulk of the Sena MLAs backing Shinde, then CM Uddhav had opted to retire rather than face a floor test. The Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which included the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as junior partners, had collapsed as a result.
Source: The Hindu
Shinde’s position in the election year has been reinforced by the Speaker’s decision; Maharashtra will see both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in 2024. The troubled Uddhav has to start again in order to make his side, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, or UBT), competitive in the elections.
The latest loss might potentially affect his party’s agreement to share seats with the Congress and the NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar. As of right now, Shinde—who is supported by the BJP and the NCP (Ajit Pawar group)—has prevailed in the struggle for Balasaheb’s legacy.
Source: India Today
But the split and its shady aftermath have called into doubt the effectiveness of the anti-defection statute in addition to undermining the integrity of the electoral mandate. It is clear that the rule needs to be changed given how dangerously simple it is for MLAs to defect and avoid being disqualified. We need to close the gaps that sly politicians continue to shamelessly take advantage of.
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