Senior Congress leader and Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar met Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray at the latter’s residence, Matoshree, in Mumbai on Sunday, triggering fresh political speculation.
The meeting comes amid ongoing turmoil within the Shiv Sena (UBT), with at least six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs reportedly considering switching allegiance to the rival faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
According to the Shiv Sena (UBT), Uddhav Thackeray’s wife Rashmi Thackeray, Yuvasena chief Aaditya Thackeray, and MP Sanjay Raut were also present during the meeting with Shivakumar. The party shared details of the interaction in a post on X.
Shivakumar also posted on X that he and Thackeray exchanged views on matters of public interest.
“Glad to meet former Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Uddhav Thackeray and his family, along with Shri Sanjay Raut, Member of Parliament, in Mumbai. We had a warm interaction and exchanged views on matters of public interest,” he wrote.
The Karnataka chief minister was in Mumbai to attend the wedding of NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule’s daughter, Revati Sule, with Sarang Lakhanee.
The meeting between Uddhav and Shivakumar has reignited speculation about a possible political realignment involving the Shiv Sena (UBT), including talk of a potential merger with the Congress. Uddhav, however, had categorically dismissed such reports during an event marking Shiv Sena Foundation Day on Friday.
Interestingly, the six dissident MPs had reportedly told Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that the Shiv Sena (UBT) was considering a merger with the Congress, prompting them to switch sides. They also requested allocation of seats near MPs from the Shinde-led faction.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s remarks suggesting that regional parties should consider merging with the Congress have further fuelled the speculation.
The internal rift in the Shiv Sena (UBT) reached a flashpoint on June 17 when the six MPs skipped a key parliamentary committee meeting in Delhi. The MPs who stayed away included Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar, and Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar.
Meanwhile, reports suggest the party remains hopeful that Nimbalkar may continue with the Uddhav camp. The party has issued showcause notices to the rebel MPs, warning of possible disqualification under the anti-defection law, though none has responded so far.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) currently has nine Lok Sabha MPs, and any breakaway group would require at least six members—two-thirds of the total strength—to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
