Mumbai, Jun 21 (PTI) The Shiv Sena (UBT) is still hopeful that Osmanabad (Dharashiv) MP Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, one of the six dissident parliamentarians, will not leave the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, sources said.
Nimbalkar told reporters on Saturday that he would take a decision on his political future after consulting the people of his constituency.
None of the dissident Lok Sabha MPs, whom the Sena (UBT) served a show-cause notice on June 18 for skipping the parliamentary party meeting, have replied, a party leader said.
“Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar is on his way back (from the rebel camp),” the leader requesting anonymity, even as the MP is yet to spell out his stand.
MPs Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar and Nimbalkar skipped the Sena (UBT) parliamentary party meeting in Delhi on June 17, fueling speculation that they were on their way to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
The Sena (UBT) has nine Lok Sabha members, and the rebel bloc needs at least six MPs — two-thirds of the total strength — to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
On Saturday, after a special court acquitted former NCP minister Padamsinh Patil and seven others in the 2006 murder case of his father and Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar, Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar said he would decide his political stand within two days after consulting the people of his constituency.
“I have never spoken against Uddhav Thackeray or Aaditya Thackeray, and I will not do so in future either,” he said.
“Good people, who live and behave correctly, face disappointment. This is Kalyug,” he said, disappointed by the trial court’s verdict.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai said those waiting for justice for 20 years would have realised now “who is on their side and who is bogus”.
Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray extended an olive branch to dissident MPs, saying those who want to come back are welcome as party chief Uddhav Thackeray has a large heart.
He also warned that action will be taken against those who go against the party.
To a question, he said there has been no contact with Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar.
Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut had alleged that legal and psychological pressure was being used to coerce the party MPs to defect. He also claimed that Nimbalkar was offered a favourable outcome in the 20-year-old murder case of his father, the verdict for which was abruptly deferred from Wednesday to Saturday, if he switched sides.
Nimbalkar had rubbished the claim.
None of the six dissident Shiv Sena MPs has responded to the show-cause notices issued by the party for skipping the parliamentary party meeting, MP Arvind Sawant said.
The notice had been issued on June 18, and replies sought within 24 hours. “We have not received any reply from them (rebel MPs),” Sawant told PTI.
Sources said the next possible step is to write to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking their disqualification for ‘defying the whip’. PTI PR KRK GK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.