Another win for Eknath Shinde camp, as it gets Lok Sabha leader post: What this means for the Uddhav Thackeray faction

In the Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena battle, which has now reached the Parliament, the Eknath Shinde faction has scored a victory. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla recognised Rahul Shewale from the breakaway camp as the floor leader of the party in the lower house on Tuesday.

A circular from the Lok Sabha secretariat pointed to the party’s positions in the House “consequent upon the change in leader of Shiv Sena Party in Lok Sabha”. It mentioned that Shewale will be the floor leader of the 19-member party, according to a report in The Indian Express.

Maharashtra chief minister Shinde said that the Lok Sabha Speaker had recognised Shewale as the Shiv Sena leader in the Lower House of Parliament and Bhavna Gawli as chief whip.

“While Rahul Shewale is the new Shiv Sena group leader, Bhavna Gawli is the chief whip of the party in Lok Sabha,” said Shinde.

Lok Sabha Secretariat issues an official circular notifying the change in leader of Shiv Sena Party in Lok Sabha. Now the leader of Shiv Sena in the house will be Rahul Shewale

(File Pic) pic.twitter.com/wrsfWAV2TX

— ANI (@ANI) July 19, 2022

Who is Rahul Shewale?

Shewale is a two-time member of Parliament (MP) from the Mumbai South Central Constituency. The 49-year-old Dalit leader has been part of the Shiv Sena for over two decades now.

In the early noughties, he was a Sena pramukh. He became a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) corporator for the first time in 2002 and then won again in 2007 and 2012. He contested the Assembly elections from the Trombay constituency in 2004 but lost to a Congress candidate.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he was elected as an MP, winning as a joint candidate of the Sena-BJP combine after defeating fellow Dalit leader and two-time Congress MP Eknath Gaikwad.

Shewale’s wife Kamini is also a member of the Shiv Sena and a former corporator.

Before switching sides to the Shinde faction, Shewale was among the first leaders to urge Uddhav Thackeray to back National Democratic Alliance candidate Droupadi Murmu in the presidential polls.

However, Shewale finds himself embroiled in a controversy. A 33-year-old woman based in Dubai has accused the MP of raping her under the pretext of marriage. She has also alleged mental exploitation.

How did the Shinde faction get the floor leader post?

The Shiv Sena has spilt in the Lok Sabha with 12 of its 19 MPs joining the Shinde camp.

While talking to the media, the Maharashtra CM said that the 12 lawmakers met Speaker Birla and submitted letters requesting recognition as the Shiv Sena party group in the Lok Sabha.

“Whoever comes to the Speaker with a majority of MPs seeking to change the party leader in the House will have to be accepted after verifying credentials of MPs who are supporting (her/him),” an LS Secretariat official told The Indian Express. The office of the Speaker had verified that 12 of the party’s 19 MPs had requested a change in leadership in the Lower House.

What next for the Shinde faction?

The decision came a day before the Supreme Court’s hearing on several petitions on the tussle between the two Sena factions. The Thackeray group says that the Shinde-led government is “illegal” until the apex court gives a ruling on their disqualification. The rebel camp asserts that they are the real Sena since they have the support of the majority of MLAs and now even MPs.

The Shinde faction has approached the Election Commission for recognition as the Shiv Sena.

What is Shewale saying?

At a press conference in Delhi, Shewale made an explosive claim that Uddhav Thackeray wanted to join the NDA last year, adding that the party never officially left the alliance.

“We are still part of the NDA,” he said “Even Uddhavji had agreed to form an alliance with the BJP. But after 12 BJP MLAs were suspended, that plan then did not go through. When we suggested an alliance with the BJP, Uddhavji said, ‘I have tried’. So why don’t you try now?”

However, Thackeray’s Sena has rubbished the claim.

What is the Uddhav faction up to?

Before Shinde & Co approached Birla, the Sena’s original leader in the Lok Sabha Vinayak Raut had written to Birla, informing him about removing Gawli as chief whip and replacing her with Rajan Baburao Vichare, MP from Thane. He had asked the Speaker not to entertain any representation from the rival faction.

Birla had reportedly asked MPs from the Thackeray side, too, to bring signatures of a majority to accept their demand, but they failed.

Currently, there are seven MPs with Thackeray but at least three are likely to join Shinde, BJP sources told The Indian Express.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Jadhav was confident that the party will tide over the existing crisis and slammed the rebel faction, saying there should be a limit to one’s greed. The Parbhani MP said it was Shiv Sena that shaped the political career of many leaders and they should never forget it. In a video, Jadhav said he stands firmly with party president Uddhav Thackeray and feels indebted to the party for fulfilling his expectations “beyond imagination”, reports News18.com.

With inputs from agencies

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