12 of 18 Shiv Sena MPs demand change of Lok Sabha floor leader

Mumbai: In another blow to the Uddhav group in the Shiv Sena, 12 of its 18 Lok Sabha MP's from Maharashtra met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and have said that they have changed the party's Group leader in the Lok Sabha as well as the Chief Whip.

The 12 MP's on Tuesday met the Lok Sabha speaker and gave a signed letter saying that they have the 12 MPs as the majority and have decided that Rahul Shewale to be the new Group leader whereas Bhavana Gawali would be the Chief whip. The Uddhav camp has claimed that the Group leader is Vinayak Raut and Chief whip is Rajan Vichare. The MP's also sought space for a separate party office in the Lok Sabha.

The Lok Sabha speaker said that he would get back to them after he studied their letter. Shewale claimed that Uddhav Thackeray himself was keen on joining hands with the BJP on several occasions in the last two years including after the Shinde rebellion.