Uddhav Thackeray Summons Shiv Sena UBT MPs to Mumbai for Sunday Meeting

MUMBAI — Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has summoned all of the party's Members of Parliament (MPs) to Mumbai for an important meeting scheduled for Sunday. The summons, issued on Saturday, comes amid intense political speculation regarding a potential split in the party's ranks.

The high-level meeting in Mumbai has been called to address rumors that a significant portion of the Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentary faction may break away. Speculation has emerged that up to two-thirds of the party's MPs could split to join the rival Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) currently has nine MPs serving in the Lok Sabha. Under prevailing regulations, any split within the party would require a two-thirds majority to remain legally valid and avoid disqualification.

To cross this critical two-thirds majority mark, any breakaway group would need at least seven of the nine MPs to defect to the Eknath Shinde-led faction.

The Sunday meeting convened by Thackeray is set to bring these key party leaders together. The primary objective of the gathering is to discuss the party's political strategy, address the ongoing rumors, and outline future plans to maintain unity among the elected representatives.

The meeting is expected to serve as a platform for Thackeray to assess the loyalty of his MPs and reinforce the party's position. With nine MPs in the Lok Sabha, the party's leadership is working to ensure that the threshold of seven MPs required for a legal split is not met by any dissenting members.