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By:

Quad Najmi and PTI

17 June 2026 at 5:11:32 pm

Uddhav faces another rebellion; decision today

Six Lok Sabha MPs trying to move away; picture may be clear at today’s Parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi AI generated image Mumbai: A cloak-and-dagger crisis engulfing the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has landed at the door of the Lok Sabha Speaker, with the party urging him to guard against any unlawful defection and issuing a whip directing its MPs to attend a meeting in Delhi on Thursday. Amid the escalating crisis, a group of rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders is learnt to have met...

Uddhav faces another rebellion; decision today

Six Lok Sabha MPs trying to move away; picture may be clear at today’s Parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi AI generated image Mumbai: A cloak-and-dagger crisis engulfing the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has landed at the door of the Lok Sabha Speaker, with the party urging him to guard against any unlawful defection and issuing a whip directing its MPs to attend a meeting in Delhi on Thursday. Amid the escalating crisis, a group of rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders is learnt to have met Speaker Om Birla informally on Wednesday, claiming the support of six of the party's nine MPs in the Lower House, sources said. Thursday's high-stakes meeting in Delhi will legally and physically define whether Uddhav Thackeray retains his parliamentary strength or faces another devastating party division, the third since Raj Thackeray split Shiv Sena in 2006. Sources in Sena (UBT) said the rival camp still doesn't have the support of six MPs. They claim two of the six rebels have reportedly changed their mind. In a swift counter-offensive to contain the damage, the party high command issued a mandatory three-line whip, summoning an emergency parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi on Thursday to force a physical showdown where the MPs will have to mark their presence physically. The developments triggered a day of high political drama in the national capital, marked by a furious, expletive-laden press conference by Raut, a reported counter-meeting by the rebel faction with Lok Sabha Speaker Birla, and sharp condemnation from the Congress. The internal fracture was visible at Sanjay Raut's press briefing, where only three other Lok Sabha MPs, Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, and Rajabhau Waje, stood by him. The remaining six lawmakers were conspicuously absent; their exact whereabouts are unknown. The Sena (UBT) has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha, and at least two‑thirds of them would be required to form a separate group. Apart from Desai, Waje and Sawant, the other six MPs are Sanjay Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar and Sanjay Jadhav Not Reachable The six MPs stopped responding or became unavailable since Wednesday forenoon, after which the party stopped contacting them. They said when the party contacted Mumbai North East MP, Sanjay Dina Patil, he told party leaders that he was not with the rebel group. The party had asked them to submit a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, which he has not submitted so far. Later in the day, sources claimed that the group of six rebel lawmakers had privately met the Lok Sabha Speaker to claim a two-thirds majority in the Lower House, the precise threshold required to escape disqualification under the anti-defection law. Simultaneously, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who split the undivided Shiv Sena in 2022, was reportedly camping in Delhi to oversee the operational layout of the defection of MPs. He returned to his home town Thane in Wednesday night. He is reportedly studying all the legal aspects before taking a final call before the party’s foundation day on Friday. Speaker’s Role Following reports of the rebels' move, a loyalist delegation consisting of Raut, Sawant, and Desai rushed to meet Speaker Birla to file a formal representation urging him to reject any unlawful group alignment. Desai argued that the legal provisions are strictly on the side of the original organisational structure. "Under the law, a splinter group cannot simply merge with another party on its own, even if they have two-thirds support. Only the original administrative party holds that right," Desai told reporters, adding that the Speaker assured them he would thoroughly examine every legal aspect before rendering a decision. The widening panic inside the party also triggered a public, familial disconnect involving missing Hingoli MP Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar. While the MP remained unreachable, his son, Krushna Patil Ashtikar, the MVA's official candidate for Thursday's Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, released a video statement strongly defending Uddhav Thackeray. "I am a Shiv Sainik of Uddhav Thackeray. There is no room for doubt when it comes to me," the younger Ashtikar stated.

Green flag to Rs 87,000-cr Uttan-Virar Sea Link

Mumbai: In a significant development, the state government has cleared the revised Phase I of the proposed 24.35-kms long Uttar-Virar Sea Link (UVSL) project costing over Rs 87,000-crore, with enhanced design, connectivity and economic benefits, officials said here.


A MMRDA meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde along with Metropolitan Commissioner Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee granted approval for UVSL that envisages unlocking the regional economic potential, improved mobility, better quality of life and other advantages to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).


Originally planned as the Versova-Virar Sea Link by the MSRDC, it was transferred to MMRDA in Oct. 2022, and subsequently in Feb. 2024, re-cast into two phases – Uttan to Virar (P-1), for immediate implementation, and Virar to Palghar (P-2), currently undergoing feasibility studies.


The Versova-Uttan stretch has been excluded from the current scope as it overlaps with the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s upcoming 5-kms long north Coastal Road Project linking Dahisar and Bhayander.


The officials said that the UVSL, slated for completion by 2029, with possible financing by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), would comprise a high-speed 8-lane north-south corridor in the MMR, linking directly with the Mumbai-Delhi Expressway.


Besides the main Sea Link, there will be 30.77 kms long connectors at Uttan, Vasai and Virar of six lanes each, a 1.2 kms long tunnel near the Arnala Fort in Virar, navigational spans for maritime traffic in the Arabian Sea and other modern features.


The UVSL is expected to decongest traffic on major roads in Mumbai like the Western Express Highway, SV Road, Link Road, leading to lower pollution levels, better road safety, slashing travel time and adding to the quality of life of people in the region.


The UVSL would complement the upcoming Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project and the upcoming 126-kms long Virar-Alibaug Multimodal Corridor, besides the network of Metro Rail networks spanning the entire MMRDA.


It will streamline and boost transportation with improved access to major residential, commercial and industrial zones in the MMR, plus strengthen economic ties with neighbouring states through connectivity to logistical hubs and facilitating smoother movement of goods and people.


The UVSL is expected to attract substantial investments, pave the way for development of industrial clusters and commercial centres and contribute to sustainable and balanced regional economic growth.


Extensive direct and indirect employment opportunities will be created, uplift income levels among the local population, improve emergency responses, boost infrastructure development, local municipal revenues, reduce pollution levels plus boost tourism and cultural exchanges through the UVSL.

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