The political crisis within Shiv Sena has intensified after six Lok Sabha MPs from Uddhav Thackeray's faction met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and pushed for their separation from the party. The rebel MPs, who are seeking to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, told the Speaker that the Thackeray faction had moved away from the party's original ideology.

According to sources, the MPs claimed that senior leaders in the Thackeray camp were planning to eventually merge with the Congress party, which is a key ally in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. The rebels said this alleged plan was one of the main reasons behind their decision to leave the faction. During their meeting with Birla, they also requested that they be allotted seats in the Lok Sabha near the seven MPs belonging to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

The development is being seen as another major setback for Uddhav Thackeray. It has revived memories of the 2022 rebellion led by Eknath Shinde, which split the Shiv Sena, brought down the MVA government in Maharashtra, and forced Thackeray to resign as Chief Minister.

Sources said the six MPs had been unhappy with Thackeray's leadership for a long time. They reportedly felt ignored by the party leadership and complained that Thackeray rarely visited their constituencies. They also expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of support provided to them during elections. According to sources, the MPs further claimed that even Aaditya Thackeray was largely inaccessible and difficult to approach.

Although discussions regarding the rebellion had reportedly been taking place behind the scenes for several months, the issue came into public focus over the last two days. The Thackeray camp strongly responded to the developments. Senior leader Sanjay Raut addressed a sharp press conference on Tuesday and repeated his criticism again on Wednesday.

The meeting with Om Birla is being viewed as a decisive moment in what many are calling the second major revolt within Shiv Sena after the split led by Shinde in 2022.

The identities of the six MPs, who had been out of contact and whose phones were switched off earlier this week, are now confirmed. They are Nagesh Ashtikar, Bhausaheb Wagchaure, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Deshmukh and Sanjay Jadhav.

Political observers believe that the rebels' move could eventually receive official approval, based on similar developments seen in the past in Maharashtra and other states. If that happens, the Shinde faction will gain additional strength in Parliament. The BJP could also benefit by receiving six more supporting votes for key legislations, including the proposed Women's Reservation Bill and delimitation-related measures.

Following their meeting with the Speaker, the rebel MPs travelled to different locations. Nagesh Ashtikar flew to Tirupati on a pilgrimage. Bhausaheb Wagchaure went to Varanasi, while Sanjay Dina Patil returned to Mumbai. Omraje Nimbalkar travelled to Pune. Sanjay Deshmukh and Sanjay Jadhav headed to Ayodhya.

Their movements before reaching Delhi were carefully planned. Ashtikar arrived from Nanded on a private jet at around 1.30 am on June 16. Nimbalkar reached Delhi from Pune at approximately 4.30 am and was accompanied by Shrikant Shinde, son of Eknath Shinde. A few hours later, Deshmukh and Jadhav arrived separately on private jets. Wagchaure travelled from Hyderabad on another private aircraft, while Patil reached Delhi later that night.

All six MPs were accommodated at a hotel in Noida. Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde travelled to Delhi through Jaipur. Reports suggest that Shinde, his son Shrikant, and the six rebel MPs met at Shrikant Shinde's residence before approaching the Speaker.

After the meeting, Shrikant Shinde and Omraje Nimbalkar reportedly met Om Birla at around 7 am. The remaining five rebel MPs met the Speaker nearly three hours later.

The next major development is expected on Saturday when the six MPs are scheduled to meet Eknath Shinde again. Following that meeting, they are likely to publicly share details of their discussion with the Speaker. They are also expected to release the letter submitted to Birla and explain the reasons behind their decision to leave the Thackeray faction.

The Thackeray camp, meanwhile, has launched disciplinary action against the rebel leaders. The party has issued seven-day show-cause notices to all six MPs. It has also urged Om Birla to reject their requests related to separation from the party and changes in seating arrangements in Parliament.

The faction is expected to inform the Speaker that the MPs will face internal disciplinary proceedings for alleged anti-party activities. Tensions within the camp increased further after the rebels ignored a party whip directing them to attend a meeting on Wednesday.

At present, the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has nine Lok Sabha MPs. However, only three of them attended the meeting called by the party leadership, highlighting the growing crisis within the faction.