The six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs, including Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, and Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, officially joined Shiv Sena (Shinde) on Monday. They made the announcement official via a press conference in Mumbai.
The move has resulted in Sena's MPs increasing from 7 to 13, boosting the party's strength. Welcoming the six rebel MPs into his fold, Maharashtra dy CM Eknath Shinde said their induction marked the 'second phase' of the political realignment that began with his 2022 revolt against Uddhav Thackeray.
Shinde said all formalities had been completed and the MPs had officially joined the Shiv Sena, which he described as the true inheritor of Bal Thackeray's ideology. Calling the move a 'sixer' for his camp, Shinde maintained that his faction's struggle was aimed at safeguarding Balasaheb's vision and values.
Dismissing allegations surrounding the defections, he said the six MPs were seasoned grassroots workers who had joined the party out of conviction.
Shinde also announced that the six MPs would contest the 2029 Lok Sabha elections on Shiv Sena tickets and would return to Parliament with victories from their respective constituencies.
