Amit Shah Declares Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena as the Sole Party

Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared there's now only one Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, during a rally in Kolhapur. He also participated in temple renovation ceremonies, highlighting a cultural revival. This statement comes as Shiv Sena (UBT) faces significant internal turmoil, with six of its nine Lok Sabha MPs absent from a crucial party meeting.

Kolhapur: Amid rebellion buzz in Shiv Sena (UBT), Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Saturday that there is no faction left now but only one Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde.

Shah was addressing a Thanksgiving rally in Kolhapur, where he

"Earlier, we had to call the Shiv Sena Shinde faction after (Eknath) Shinde. Now, there is no faction. There is only one Shiv Sena," Shah said.

He also offered prayers at Mata Ambabai Temple in Kolhapur and laid the foundation stone for the modernisation and beautification of the temple complex.

"Today, on this sacred land of Maharashtra, where the abode of Mata Ambabai is here, in this Kolhapur, we have all gathered for a very noble cause. Where Mata Ambabai herself resides in hundreds, Karvirnagar is today having the work of renovation and corridor construction of Mata Ambabai's temple being carried out by the Maharashtra government," Shah said.

The Union Home Minister emphasised that this cultural renaissance is taking place under the vision of Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi, coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"In Maharashtra, all Jyotirlingas and Shakti Peeth are being redeveloped and revitalised. This is a matter of pride for all of us," Amit Shah said.

This comes amid rebellion buzz in the Sena (UBT) faction led by Uddhav Thackeray. Amid 'Operation Tiger', a mass defection of UBT parliamentarians to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has pushed the party to the brink, manifesting in open hostility, missing MPs, and threats of legal action.

After this, Shiv Sena (UBT) has issued a fresh show cause notice to its absentee MPs, threatening disqualification.

Party's Chief Whip in Lok Sabha, Anil Desai, has issued a formal 'Show Cause' notice to the absentee MPs. They have been given a strict 24-hour deadline to provide a written explanation for their behaviour.

The notice carries a stern warning. If the MPs fail to respond within the stipulated time, the party will assume they have voluntarily given up their membership. Consequently, they will face action under the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution (the Anti-Defection Law).

The crisis reached a flashpoint on Thursday in New Delhi, when a mandatory parliamentary party meeting convened by party leadership saw a stark display of division.

Out of the party's nine Lok Sabha MPs, only three--Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, and Rajabhau Waje--attended the meeting called by party whips. The remaining six--Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure--remained conspicuously absent.