Speaker Om Birla has recognised Rahul Shewale as Shiv Sena leader in Lok Sabha, Bhavana Gawali as chief whip: Eknath Shinde | India News

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, who is battling it out with Uddhav Thackeray for control of the Shiv Sena, got a shot in the arm on Tuesday when the Lok Sabha Speaker recognised 12 MPs loyal to Shinde as a separate group.
Speaker Om Birla has also recognised Rahul Shewale as the party’s leader in the House and Bhavana Gawali as the chief whip, Shinde said.
This comes a day after 12 out of 19 Sena Lok Sabha MPs attended a virtual meeting with Shinde.

Addressing the media in Mumbai, Shinde said that the 12 MPs met Om Birla and submitted a letter requesting recognition as a Shiv Sena Party Group in the Lower House.
“While Rahul Shewale is the new Shiv Sena group leader, Bhavana Gawali is the chief whip of the party in Lok Sabha,” said Shinde.
The 12 MPs have joined his faction “in the interest of the people of Maharashtra,” he added.
The MPs are- Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Rahul Shewale, Bhavana Gawali, Hemant Godse, Rajendra Gavit, Sadashiv Lokhande, Hemant Patil, Sanjay Mandlik, Dhairyasheel Mane, Shrirang Barne, Krupal Tumane and Prataprao Jadhav.
This comes less than a month after a revolt by majority Sena MLAs against the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray led to the fall of the MVA government in Maharashtra and Eknath Shinde assuming the CM’s office.
The Shinde faction, with help from BJP, won the floor test in the state assembly. The ripples have now reached the Parliament, and a majority of the party MPs have now pledged their loyalty to Shinde.
Sources say that two MPs from the Shinde camp is likely to be inducted in the Union ministry- one with a Cabinet berth and another as a minister of state.