Shiv Sena MPs demand to support NDA’s presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray’s parliamentary unity will be put to the test when MPs vote to elect the next President of India on July 18.
This comes after a vertical split within the party caused the collapse of the MVA administration in Maharashtra.
According to sources, Uddhav is considering his options in light of a rebellion inside the party and wants to avoid more embarrassment.
Uddhav might declare that he will back Droupadi Murmu of the NDA in the upcoming presidential elections.
According to sources, up to 16 Sena MPs have asked Uddhav to proclaim that Sena legislators will vote for Murmu rather than the opposition’s Yashwant Singh, a BJP renegade.
On July 14, Droupadi Murmu will travel to Maharashtra as part of her campaign. In the Sena faction headed by Eknath Shinde, she will meet with both BJP and Sena MLAs. According to sources, several MPs and MLAs who support Uddhav may decide to join the rebels when they meet Murmu on July 14.
Uddhav could declare his support for Murmu during the meeting with party MPs today to prevent more embarrassment.
Deepak Kesakar, a Sena faction spokesperson and dissident Sena MLA, appealed to all parties, including the Sena faction led by Uddhav, to support Murmu last week.
It is important to note that the Uddhav-led Sena fraction participated in the opposition’s discussions to select Yashwant Sinha as a joint presidential candidate.
Uddhav is currently perplexed as to why the Chief Minister quit on June 30 in light of the party cracks that appeared soon before the election.
Rajendra Gavit, the party’s representative for the Palghar Lok Sabha constituency, asked Uddhav to endorse Murmu’s candidacy on Friday.
Gavit reminded Uddhav that Sena founder Bal Thackeray had sided with Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee during the 2007 and 2012 elections rather than the BJP-led NDA.
Gavit, a member of a tribal group, is the second Sena MP to urge the party to support Murmu. Murmu has the support of the Sena group, which is headed by the current Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde.
After the Assembly election results in 2019, Uddhav left the BJP and formed the government with the help of ideological opposing parties NCP and Congress.
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