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Sanjay Raut warned that any MP wishing to leave the party should first resign from their post and seek a fresh mandate from the people.
Amid speculations of split in Shiv Sena UBT, party MP Sanjay Raut says, “If anyone wants to go, they can resign and leave.
Shiv Sena Split Row: Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday courted a controversy after he hurled abuses targeting rebel MPs amid speculation of a possible split within the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction.
While addressing a press conference in New Delhi alongside party leaders Arvind Sawant and Anil Desai, Raut launched a sharp attack on leaders rumoured to be in touch with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Without naming any individual, Raut described the suspected rebels as “dishonest” and said that “dishonesty is in their blood”.
After unleashing a string of expletives and describing the rebel MPs as beman (betrayers), Raut, while addressing the media, urged reporters not to beep out his abuses.
Raut said that while elected representatives may come and go, loyalty to the party should remain intact. Referring to Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and party chief Uddhav Thackeray, he said party leaders had nurtured and supported workers for decades and should not be betrayed.
Raut said that the party had no official information about any split and was learning of reports about some MPs breaking away through the media. He said Shiv Sena (UBT) had begun legal steps, issued a whip ahead of its parliamentary party meeting scheduled for Thursday, and written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asking him to act strictly in line with constitutional provisions.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also warned that any MP wishing to leave the party should first resign from their post and seek a fresh mandate from the people.
“If anyone wants to go, they can resign and leave. If such reports emerge about our MPs, then they should refute them. This time, the people of Maharashtra will not remain silent,” Raut told reporters in Delhi.
Raut further alleged that attempts were being made to engineer defections through monetary inducements. Claiming to have information about cash being offered to MPs, he alleged that some lawmakers had received advances and travelled on chartered flights from different parts of Maharashtra.
“I have information that Rs 15 crore each was delivered to the MPs, after which they boarded charter flights from three places, including Nanded and Pune. We have issued a whip for the Parliamentary Party Meeting tomorrow. Arvind ji has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker,” he said.
Sawant said none of the MPs had officially informed the party about any decision to leave and that all such reports were coming through the media and social media.
Desai said the party’s faith in its MPs remained intact, though legal safeguards were being put in place as a precaution. The three leaders said they had no official information about any split and were reacting only to reports that had surfaced in the media.
The remarks come amid intense political speculation in Maharashtra over reports of a possible split within Shiv Sena (UBT). However, there has been no official confirmation from the party regarding any breakaway faction.
Maharashtra is currently witnessing “Operation Tiger” buzz amid speculation that seven of the nine UBT MPs were in touch with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and are looking to join the ruling party. Back in 2022, Shinde, along with several MLAs, broke away from Uddhav Thackeray, splitting the party into two.
Anil Desai Defends Sanjay Raut
Mneawhile, UBT leader Anil Desai defended Raut over his derogatory remarks and said that the comments were not directed at any specific individual and reflected the emotions of a leader who has spent decades in public life.
#WATCH | Delhi: On Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut hurls abuses at suspected rebel MPs, Shiv Sena UBT MP Anil Desai says, “Whatever is said, these are slangs, it is not meant for anyone particularly. When an emotionally sensitive person, who has spent 50 years of his life in… pic.twitter.com/sL8sNdRmcj— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2026
“Whatever is said, these are slangs, it is not meant for anyone particularly. When an emotionally sensitive person, who has spent 50 years of his life in politics in the public sphere, speaks, such things happen. He also clarified that he wasn’t addressing any particular person,” he saod as quoted by news agency ANI.
Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) Condemns Comments
However, the comments drew criticism from Maharashtra minister Sanjay Shirsat of the Shinde camp, who said insulting and abusing party colleagues was inappropriate and may have contributed to growing discontent within the party.
#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: On Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut hurls abuses at suspected rebel MPs, Maharashtra Minister Sanjay Shirsat says, “You must have seen him abusing. He leads a district; he’s been working for so many years… I think abusing them and insulting them in… pic.twitter.com/jNw9RVY4jY— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2026
“You must have seen him abusing. He leads a district; he’s been working for so many years… I think abusing them and insulting them in this manner was not right. This must have been going on for a long time. The result is that today the MPs don’t want to be with them.” Shirsat said as quoted by the news agency.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre…Read More
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