Sanjay Raut dismisses defection rumours; all 9 UBT MPs attend meet

Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT) dismissed rumours of MPs defecting to the Eknath Shinde camp. He confirmed all nine party MPs attended a routine meeting with Uddhav Thackeray, either in person or virtually, calling the defection claims baseless.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that all nine Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentarians had participated in a routine meeting chaired by party chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on Sunday, rubbishing speculations that several MPs could join the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

All Nine MPs Attended Meeting: Raut

Addressing reporters here after the meeting held at Thackeray's residence here, Raut said that four MPs attended the meeting in person, while five others joined through video conferencing. "Four MPs were physically present in the meeting, and five of our MPs participated in this meeting through video conferencing. In this way, nine MPs were present in today's meeting with Uddhav Ji. Aditya Sahab was also there, Vinayak Raut was also there -- all these nine MPs joined today's meeting and a good conversation took place," Raut said.

He clarified that the meeting was part of the party's regular organisational exercise and not linked to the ongoing political speculation. "Actually, this is a routine meeting; once a month, all of us MPs meet at Matoshree, and Uddhav Ji guides us. It is a routine meeting, and all MPs participated in it either directly (physically) or through video conferencing," he said.

Rejecting reports of a possible split within the party, Raut urged people not to give credence to such claims. "So, please stop spreading the rumours that you are spreading," he added.

Context: 'Operation Tiger' Speculation

The development comes amidst the ongoing political buzz surrounding 'Operation Tiger', where some reports speculated that seven of the nine UBT Sena MPs are in touch with Shinde Sena, and likely to join the National Democratic Alliance.

The political development comes amidst the ongoing political crisis within the Trinamool Congress where 20 party MPs have already rebelled against Mamata Banerjee and are willing to create a separate bloc within the Lok Sabha. (ANI)

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