What happened
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena before the Monsoon Session. The decision left the UBT faction with only three MPs in the Lok Sabha.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a revised party-position circular after the Speaker’s approval. The Speaker also allowed 20 Trinamool Congress MPs to sit separately during the session.
Why this matters for UPSC
The development is relevant to GS2 because it touches Parliament’s internal procedure, party strength in the House, and the wider debate on party split, merger, and recognition. It also connects to the functioning of the Speaker as a constitutional authority in legislative management.
The issue has significance beyond a single party shift because parliamentary grouping affects seating, speaking time, floor coordination, and political legitimacy inside the House. It also keeps the legal and political questions around the Tenth Schedule and party discipline in focus.
Related current affairs
- Speaker okays merger of 6 Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs
- SC declines stay on 6 MPs’ ‘merger’ with Shinde camp
- SC to consider urgent hearing of Sena (UBT) plea
- SC seeks Lok Sabha Speaker’s response on merger of Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs
- Speaker clears merger of six Sena UBT MPs with Shinde Sena, separate seating for TMC rebels
- Shiv Sena MPs merger: How Speaker Om Birla’s decision changes NDA politics