‘The party stands united’: Sanjay Raut dismisses rumours of 7 Sena (UBT) MPs defecting to Shinde camp

3 min readPuneJun 10, 2026 01:48 PM IST

"Our party chief is in regular touch with all our Lok Sabha members. Those who wanted to desert the party have already done so in the past," Sanjay Raut said. (File photo).

Dismissing speculation that seven out of its nine Lok Sabha MPs are planning a breakaway, Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut said Wednesday that the party remains completely united. However, while denying any immediate threat of a split, the Rajya Sabha MP noted that people intent on defecting would eventually do so, regardless of how well they are treated.

“There is absolutely no truth to the rumours that our lawmakers are breaking away. The party stands entirely united,” Raut told reporters, reacting to reports that a group of seven MPs had allegedly travelled to Delhi to meet with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Raut said that party chief Uddhav Thackeray maintains consistent communication with all elected representatives, adding that the core group currently remaining in the party has already chosen their side.

“Our party chief is in regular touch with all our Lok Sabha members. Those who wanted to desert the party have already done so in the past,” he said.

“The Lok Sabha elections are still three years away, and there are no immediate national or state polls on the horizon. Therefore, these conversations carry no real weight.”

Raut, however, condemned the broader trend of defections, saying, “No matter how much respect you give them or how many red carpets you lay out, once the worm of a treacherous mentality enters the body, it eats away at both the mind and brain. In such cases, regardless of the high positions these people may have enjoyed within the party for 35 to 40 years, they simply cannot remain loyal.”

The Sena (UBT) leader held central institutions and investigative agencies responsible for creating an environment that incentivises breaking political parties.

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“The way the politics of dismantling established parties is being carried out using absolute power and influence, the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister, the Election Commission, the ED, the CBI, and even the courts share responsibility for it,” Raut alleged.

“As long as the supreme and autonomous institutions of this country fail to function impartially, this kind of political sabotage by the ruling dispensation will continue.”

When questioned about reports that the rival Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction was actively trying to contact veteran MP Vinayak Raut, Sanjay Raut said, “If they are trying to contact Vinayak Raut, let them. There is nothing wrong with that. Communication in politics always continues, but just because a conversation happens does not mean someone is leaving the party. All our colleagues stand firmly with Uddhav Thackeray,” he said.

Corroborating Raut’s statements, Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje told The Indian Express. “I am completely stable where I am. I am not going anywhere, and nobody from the rival camp has even contacted me,” Waje said.