Mumbai: Fresh political buzz has emerged around the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) after several of its MPs reportedly held what were described as “courtesy meetings” in Delhi, fuelling speculation of possible defections.
According to sources cited by NDTV, the meetings have exposed a deeper unease within the party’s parliamentary wing, with some MPs said to be unhappy over an alleged communication gap between the leadership and elected representatives.
Speculations intensified after Sanjay Jadhav, three-term Lok Sabha MP, skipped a crucial meeting at Uddhav Thackeray’s house in Mumbai and another meeting of the party’s office bearers at Sena Bhavan.
Party MPs from Hingoli, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, and Yavatmal-Washim, Sanjay Deshmukh, attended a dinner hosted by Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav in New Delhi recently, according to reports. Shortly after, Jadhav was also reported to have met BJP leader Amit Shah in New Delhi.
Concerns have also reportedly been raised over lesser engagement from the top brass during election campaigns in rural regions, which some leaders believe hurt the party’s performance in recent local body polls.
The development comes at a sensitive time for the party led by Uddhav Thackeray, which has faced repeated organisational challenges since the 2022 split that saw Eknath Shinde break away with a large section of MLAs.
Party leaders have not officially commented on the latest speculation.
