GS2The Hindu · Current Affairs
Birla approves six Sena (UBT) MPs’ merger with Shiv Sena
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla approves the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde, altering the party balance in the House before the Monsoon Session.
SP
Samachar Pathshala Desk
Published 19 Jul 2026 · 1 min
Key takeaways
- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs into the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde.
- The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a circular reflecting the revised party strength in the Lok Sabha.
- Twenty Trinamool Congress MPs have been permitted to sit separately during the session.
- The Union government has invited rebel Trinamool Congress leaders to a floor-leaders meeting while considering recognition of their newly formed party.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs into the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde. The change matters because party strength inside the Lok Sabha affects floor strategy, speaking space, and formal recognition in Parliament.
The UPSC angle
GS2
Lok Sabha party-merger disputes and the anti-defection framework
UPSC can ask how the Tenth Schedule applies to mergers and defections, what discretion the Speaker exercises under the anti-defection framework, and how changing party strength affects parliamentary functioning and representation.
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