Shiv Sena (UBT) issues fresh show-cause notice to absentee MPs, threatens disqualification

Party's Chief Whip in Lok Sabha, Anil Desai, has issued a formal 'Show Cause' notice to the absentee MPs. They have been given a strict 24-hour deadline to provide a written explanation for their behaviour.

The notice carries a stern warning. If the MPs fail to respond within the stipulated time, the party will assume they have voluntarily given up their membership. Consequently, they will face action under the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution (the Anti-Defection Law).

Amid 'Operation Tiger', a mass defection of UBT parliamentarians to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has pushed the party to the brink, manifesting in open hostility, missing MPs, and threats of legal action.

The crisis reached a flashpoint on Thursday in New Delhi, when a mandatory parliamentary party meeting convened by party leadership saw a stark display of division.

Out of the party's nine Lok Sabha MPs, only three--Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, and Rajabhau Waje--attended the meeting called by party whips. The remaining six--Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure--remained conspicuously absent.

In response, the UBT faction moved swiftly to assert authority. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut announced that show-cause notices had been issued to the six absentees earlier, initiating the formal process for their disqualification from the Lower House.

"The process for taking action has started," Raut declared during a press conference. "We will make every effort to get them disqualified. If the Speaker of the Lok Sabha works according to the rules, the law, and the Supreme Court's directives, these people will be disqualified."

The buzz surrounding "Operation Tiger" gained significant momentum after Shiv Sena MLC Chandrakant Raghuvanshi claimed that six MPs from Shiv Sena (UBT) have expressed confidence in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and have already joined his faction. (ANI)