Shiv Sena (UBT) challenges Speaker's nod to MPs' merger in SC

New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) has approached the Supreme Court against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's decision to recognise the merger of six of its Lok Sabha MPs with the rival Shiv Sena headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, according to a report by The Indian Express.

The petition, filed by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Ganpat Sawant, sought an urgent hearing, contending that the Speaker's decision has severely affected the party's ability to function in Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the matter would be considered for listing but gave no assurance that it would be heard this week.

The dispute stems from a July 18 decision of the Lok Sabha Secretariat recognising the merger of MPs Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Omraje Nimbalkar, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar and Bhausaheb Wakchaure with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

The petition argues that the six legislators were elected on Shiv Sena (UBT) tickets and the party's 'Mashaal' symbol after seeking votes against the Shinde faction. It maintains that they could not legally merge with another political party without a merger of the parent organisation itself.

Seeking to set aside the Speaker's decision, the plea alleges that the recognition of the merger is unconstitutional and erodes the principles of parliamentary democracy by permitting elected representatives to abandon the party under whose banner they secured their mandate.