A day after Eknath Shinde's meeting with Shiv Sena MPs, the sources informed ABP News that Rahul Shewale will be appointed as a chief whip of the party in the Lok Sabha.
According to the sources, Yavatmal MP Bhavana Gawali is likely to be appointed as a deputy chief whip of the party. She was recently ousted as Chief Whip by Uddhav Thackeray for anti-party activities and replaced by Rajan Vichare, although no official decision has been made by the Speaker.
As per the sources, 12 Shiv Sena MPs are meeting with the Lok Sabha speaker.
According to reports, out of 19 Shiv Sena MPs in Lok Sabha, 12 are in contact with Eknath Shinde and may establish a separate group in the Lok Sabha. This development coincides with the Chief Minister's visit to Delhi to discuss the Maharashtra cabinet portfolios with BJP leadership.
Shinde Sena claims that 12 of the 19 MPs on Monday participated in a virtual meeting with Eknath Shinde, showing their support and faith in the dissident leader whose group now dominates the party founded by Uddhav Thackeray's father, Bal Thackeray, according to the sources.
However, the Shiv Sena's official emblem won't be claimed by the MPs until the Speaker makes a decision about their desire to be acknowledged as a distinct group.
The coalition government led by Uddhav Thackeray was overthrown last month when the majority of Shiv Sena MLAs sided with Eknath Shinde. Shinde's successful overthrow of his party chairman was made possible by the administration he established with the BJP.
Uddhav Thackeray last week broke with his coalition allies and proclaimed support for the BJP's presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu during a meeting with his MPs. According to the opposition parties, Thackeray was battered and isolated and had no alternative but to concur with his MPs.