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'Thackeray wanted to renew ties with BJP, but…': Sena's ‘new’ Lok Sabha leader
Maha political crisis: CM Eknath Shinde said Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has recognised Rahul Shewale as the Shiv Sena's floor leader in the Lower House of Parliament in place of Vinayak Raut.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said rebel MPs' plea to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to recognise Rahul Shewale as the Shiv Sena's floor leader in the Lower House of Parliament had been addressed.
Twelve Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena and Shinde met Birla earlier in the day with the request to replace Vinayak Raut, a loyalist of Uddhav Thackeray, as the floor leader. “Shiv Sena MPs too have supported us in our stand to uphold ideals of Balasaheb Thackeray,” Shinde, who took over the top after a rebellion against Thackeray, said in Delhi.
Shewale said Thackeray was keen on realigning with the BJP, but went back on his words later.
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He further said Sena MPs had asked Thackeray not to support Margaret Alva as the joint Opposition's Vice Presidential candidate, “but our views were ignored”.
The Shiv Sena has 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha of whom 12 are lending their support to the Shinde camp.
The rebel Shiv Sena MPs met Birla a day after the party's floor leader, Vinayak Raut, gave a letter to the speaker, asking him not to entertain any representation from the rival faction.
Raut, in his letter submitted to the speaker on Monday night, had said he was the "duly appointed" leader of the Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party and Rajan Vichare was the chief whip.
(With agency inputs)
