Chaitanya.MarpakwarMumbai: Amid TMC crisis and speculation that two-thirds of his party MPs are planning a move to deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s Sena, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray summoned all his MPs to Mumbai on Saturday. He will meet them on Sunday. Sena (UBT) has 9 MPs in LS, and any split will require at least 6 MPs to meet the two-thirds majority mark.Political observers said it will be important to see how many turn up on Sunday as some MPs like Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani) have skipped recent party meetings.Sena (UBT) functionaries said reaching the two-thirds mark won’t be easy, especially when three party MPs are from Mumbai and are committed to Matoshree. Uddhav summoned all his MPs to the city on Saturday, also Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray’s birthday.Sena (UBT) MP from Nashik Rajabhau Waze said he was attending the Sunday meeting called by Uddhav. “None of our MPs will leave Uddhavji. I have said this many times. No one has reached out to me, and there is no question of my leaving the party. People must not spread rumours and defame us. I’m happy where I am. I will not leave Uddhavji as people chose us for a particular ideology and party,” he said.In the last few months, there have been several instances of Sena (UBT) MPs meeting Shinde or other top Shinde Sena netas, sparking speculation that a split may be on cards. Hingoli MP Nagesh Patil Ashtikar recently visited Shinde at his official residence. Waje had a meeting with Sena MP Shrikant Shinde. Shirdi MP Bhausaheb Wakchaure met industries minister Uday Samant.Parbhani MP Jadhav created a stir last month by saying ‘economic calculations’ are important in elections, so it is impossible to say what will happen next. “I will never betray those who made me grow up, but the current situation has changed,” he had said at a public function.In April, two Sena (UBT) MPs, Nagesh Ashtikar and Sanjay Deshmukh, had attended the rival Shiv Sena functionary and Union minister Pratap Jadav’s dinner meet, leading to speculation that there was a rift in Sena (UBT). The TMC turmoil has raised fresh speculation about the possibility of similar developments in Sena (UBT).
