Many Sena (Uddhav) MLAs skip party event, fuel split rumours

Mumbai: Two years after the Shiv Sena split, Uddhav Thackeray is likely to suffer another jolt as several of his party leaders are making overtures to Shiv Sena (Shinde) thinking of their future. While Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has been claiming that none of his leaders would quit the party, in a tell-tale sign, several of its leaders, MLAs and MPs stayed away from the party's birth anniversary celebration of its founder, the late Bal Thackeray, held on Thursday.

UBT MLAs Dilip Sopal, Rahul Patil, Babaji Kale and MPs Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Bandu Jadhav, Om Raje Nimbalkar and Sanjay Dina Patil were absent at the event held in Andheri.

UBT leaders claimed that many of these leaders had prior commitments and had informed the party in advance of their inability to attend. UBT Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut turned defiant and said that those asking questions in the absence of the party leaders "did not know the Shiv Sena". "This was an event for Mumbai and hence other (Sena) leaders from the state did not attend," Raut said.


Others who were absent include former MLAs Rajan Salvi and Vaibhav Naik. There is immense speculation of Salvi quitting the UBT camp and joining the Shiv Sena, which he has not explicitly denied. Salvi is being wooed by both the Shiv Sena and BJP.

Their absence assumes significance as Shiv Sena leader and Industry Minister Uday Samant has said that in the coming days there would be several desertions of high-profile leaders from the UBT camp to the Shiv Sena. Samant has claimed that four UBT MLAs and three of its MPs would soon switch over to the Shiv Sena. Significantly, Samant has also claimed that four Congress MLAs were also going to join the Shiv Sena.