Shiv Sena Parliamentary Wing Heading For Imminent Spilt, Uddhav-led Faction Mounts A Last Ditch Effort By Appointing New Whip

With chief minister Eknath Shinde-led's government firmly ensconced in the seat of power in Maharashtra after carving out a comprehensive victory in the vote of confidence, further trouble is brewing for the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of Shiv Sena with the party's parliamentary heading for an imminent split.

Betraying signs of nervousness over possible desertion within the ranks of the parliamentary wing, the Uddhav-led faction on Wednesday nominated Thane MP Rajan Vichare as the party's chief whip in Lok Sabha, replacing Yavatmal-Washim MP Bhavana Gawali.

"It is to inform you that Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party has nominated Rajan Vichare, MP (LS) as the chief whip in Lok Sabha in place of Bhavana Gawali, MP (LS), with immediate effect," senior party leader Sanjay Raut said in a letter to Parliamentary Affairs minister Pralhad Joshi.

Raut, considered a loyalist of Uddhav, is the leader of the Shiv Sena Parliamentary party in Rajya Sabha.

Gawli is among the Sena MPs who had suggested that the Sena ally with the BJP again amid the rebellion led by Eknath Shinde.

Gulbarao Patil, a senior Sena legislator and former minister, today claimed that 12 out of the party's 18 MPs would soon join the Eknath Shinde-led faction.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Sena notched up an impressive tally by winning 18 out of 23 seats it contested in alliance with the BJP. BJP won 23 out of the 25 seats it fielded candidates.

Despite local anti-incumbency, many Sena MPs credit their victory to PM Narendra Modi's popularity. With Uddhav still firm in sustaining alliance with NCP-Congress, a few other MPs fear that they may not be fielded again.

A section of the parliamentary wing, especially a few seasoned MPs, are also upset with the antics of Raut and the prominence given to relative lightweights like RS MP Priyanka Chaturvedi.