Six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs joining Shiv Sena today, claims Maharashtra Minister Pratap Sarnaik

Maharashtra Minister and Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik on Monday claimed that six rebel Shiv Sena UBT Members of Parliament are set to join the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena a move that would significantly boost the partys strength in the Lok SabhaSpeaking to reporters in Mumbai amid growing speculation over a split in Shiv Sena UBTs parliamentary wing Sarnaik said the formal induction of the MPs was expected later in the dayAt 3 pm today six MPs will officially join Shiv Sena This will increase the number of our MPs from 7 to 13 This has increased the strength of Shiv SenaIf the switch materialises it would mark a major setback for Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and further strengthen the position of the Shindeled faction at the national levelRebels have submitted letter to Lok Sabha Speaker says ministerSarnaik claimed that the six MPs had already communicated their decision to the Lok Sabha SpeakerAccording to him the legislators were aligning themselves with the ideology of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and had chosen to join the Shindeled party after internal deliberationsOperation Tiger continues all 365 days the six MPs who follow the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray are joining Shiv Sena at 3 pm today They have given a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker We welcome them We thank Sanjay Raut because of whom first the MLAs joined our party and now six MPs are joining our partyHis remarks come amid continued political uncertainty within Shiv Sena UBT where several MPs have distanced themselves from the party leadership in recent weeksMixed reactions from Shiv Sena leadersReacting to the developments Shiv Sena UBT MLA Mahesh Sawant appeared unfazed by reports of the defectionsJaane wale gaye We agree with what has been published in SaamnaMeanwhile Shiv Sena MLC Dr Manisha Kayande said she had not received official confirmation regarding the reported switch but indicated that developments were likely soonNo one is a rebel They are Shiv Sainiks joining Shiv Sena I dont have any official information about this Eknath Shinde ji has certainly welcomed thisShe also referred to statements made by some of the MPs in recent daysYesterday Omraje Nimbalkar made his stand clear and other MPs had also met their electorate There will be some good news todayUddhav Thackeray plans statewide outreach campaignThe developments come as Uddhav Thackeray prepares to launch a statewide outreach programme aimed at reconnecting with party workers and supporters across MaharashtraAccording to the schedule shared by Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut Thackeray will begin the campaign on June 27 with visits to Yavatmal and Washim in the Vidarbha region followed by Hingoli in MarathwadaOn June 28 he is scheduled to visit Parbhani and Dharashiv while a visit to Shirdi is planned for June 29Political observers view the campaign as an attempt to strengthen the party organisation and reassure workers amid growing signs of dissent within the parliamentary wingSix MPs skipped parliamentary party meetingThe speculation regarding a split intensified after six Shiv Sena UBT MPs skipped the partys parliamentary meeting earlier this monthThe MPs are YavatmalWashim MP Sanjay Deshmukh Hingoli MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar Parbhani MP Sanjay Jadhav Shirdi MP Bhausaheb Wakchaure Mumbai North East MP Sanjay Dina Patil and Dharashiv MP Omprakash Raje NimbalkarTheir absence fuelled reports that they were preparing to join the Shindeled Shiv Sena With Sarnaik now claiming that all six MPs are set to switch sides attention is focused on whether the move will be formally completed and what impact it could have on the balance of power within Maharashtras political landscapeWith inputs from ANI