New Delhi: It was coming. The formal seal was stamped on Saturday.
In a major setback for Uddhav Thackeray, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla approved the merger of six rebel MPs of Shiv Sena (UBT) into the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction.
The strength of Shinde Sena – and NDA — in the Lok Sabha rose to 13, while Uddhav Sena was reduced to just 3 MPs.
The six Parliamentarians from Maharashtra broke away from the Uddhav camp and joined the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Shinde about a month ago.
Earlier this week, Shinde said that the induction of the MPs had been carried out in a “foolproof” and “legally sound” manner, expressing confidence that the Speaker will rule in favour of his faction.
The Lok Sabha Speaker also approved separate seating arrangements for 20 MPs who quit the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to join the obscure Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
Led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, these 20 MPs have pledged to support the NDA government.
It will help the BJP get closer to the magic two-thirds majority figure of 360 needed to pass the 131st Constitution Amendment bill to roll out Women’s Reservation Law and Delimitation Bill.
