Sanjay Raut Alleges Shiv Sena UBT MPs Offered Rs 50 Crore to Defect

Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs from Maharashtra are receiving Rs 50 crore defection offers, party leader Sanjay Raut alleged on Wednesday in New Delhi.

The claim arrives amid heightened speculation of an imminent split in the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction. Raut warned that the people of Maharashtra and party workers would not remain quiet if the 2022 rebellion that fractured the undivided Shiv Sena were to repeat.

Out of the nine Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha members, only three — Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Waje — attended the news conference. An "important person" had informed him late Tuesday night that efforts were underway to "buy" MPs from Maharashtra, Raut told PTI.

"I was told that the rate is Rs 50 crore and that Rs 15 crore each would be delivered by tonight. They were allegedly unwilling to board the aircraft without receiving the money," Raut said.

Party leaders detailed legal countermeasures, loyalty pledges and alleged coercion tactics targeting specific lawmakers.

Whips and Loyalty Oaths

In response to the crisis, the Sena (UBT) issued a whip for a parliamentary party meeting on Thursday. The faction also wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to urge strict adherence to constitutional provisions, PTI reported.

Lawmakers pledged emotionally during a Sunday meeting with Thackeray. One MP took Sai Baba's oath four times, another swore in the name of Goddess Bhavani, others swore on their children and mothers, saying they would remain with the party, Raut said.

"If anybody wants to leave, they should first resign. They have come to Parliament on our party's ticket and because voters elected them," Raut said.

All the MPs in question had been elected on the Sena (UBT)'s "mashal" symbol under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, Raut said. "Nobody has the right to betray that mandate," he told PTI. These MPs have been elected because of Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and late Balasaheb Thackeray, not because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, he said.

Sawant and Desai said that no MPs have officially communicated plans to defect. The party maintains faith in its members while establishing legal precautions. "We have no official information about any split. We are hearing these reports through the media and reacting to them," the three Sena (UBT) leaders told PTI.

Alleged Coercion and Litigation

Political rivals pressured Dharashiv MP Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar to defect in exchange for a favourable verdict in his father's 20-year-old murder case, Raut alleged. A court had scheduled the verdict for Wednesday, but it is now likely to be pronounced on Saturday.

"He (Nimbalkar) was allegedly told that if he wanted a favourable verdict in the murder case of his father, he should join their group," Raut claimed.

A legal battle will follow any defections, Raut warned. He cautioned that dissidents cannot easily gather and settle matters through money alone. "Whatever the party has given us, we cannot forget. Balasaheb Thackeray treated us like sons and Uddhav Thackeray has always treated us like brothers," Raut told PTI.