All 3 of Uddhav’s MPs: As he stares at another split, the only ones standing by Sena (UBT) leader

As the split in Shiv Sena (UBT) appeared increasingly imminent on Thursday, with six of the party’s nine Lok Sabha MPs skipping a parliamentary party meeting in Delhi, here is a look at the three Uddhav Thackeray loyalists who have stood firmly by the party.

Rajabhau Waje has spent his entire political career with the Shiv Sena and sided with Uddhav during the Eknath Shinde-led rebellion in 2022. (Express photo)

A first-time MP from Nashik, 59-year-old Waje was among the Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders who publicly dismissed speculation about defections.

Waje has spent his entire political career with the Shiv Sena and sided with Uddhav during the Eknath Shinde-led rebellion in 2022.

Unlike some MPs whose names have surfaced in the current round of speculation, Waje attended the meeting called by Uddhav and later publicly reiterated his loyalty to the Sena (UBT). He also said he would quit politics the day he leaves the party.

Waje hails from Sinnar in Nashik district, where his family has been involved in local politics for several years. He made a successful electoral debut from the Sinnar Assembly seat in 2014 but lost the seat five years later.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Sena (UBT) fielded Waje from Nashik, where he defeated sitting MP Hemant Godse of the Shiv Sena.

Arvind Sawant

Over the years, Arvind Sawant remained active in the Sena’s workers’ unions and the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti. (Express photo)

Sawant, 72, a three-time MP from Mumbai South, is regarded as one of the senior-most leaders in Sena (UBT) and has been associated with the party since the Bal Thackeray era.

Over the years, he remained active in the Sena’s workers’ unions and the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti. Before entering the Lok Sabha, Sawant also served as an MLC.

He joined the Shiv Sena in 1968 as a gat pramukh (group leader). Before entering full-time politics, he worked with Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).

In 2014, Sawant entered the Lok Sabha for the first time as an MP of the undivided Sena, defeating Milind Deora from the Mumbai South constituency. He retained the seat in 2019, once again defeating Deora.

Before the Sena severed ties with the NDA in 2019 and formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government with the Congress and the then-undivided NCP in Maharashtra, Sawant briefly served as Union Minister for Heavy Industries.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sena (UBT) fielded him again from Mumbai South, where he defeated Shiv Sena candidate Yamini Jadhav.

Sawant is currently the Sena (UBT)’s parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha. Amid the ongoing speculation about a split, he met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and said that no MP had formally communicated any decision to leave the party. He also stressed that Constitutional provisions must be followed if any such move takes place.

Anil Desai

Anil Desai has handled organisational responsibilities for the party for years. (Express photo)

The Sena (UBT) MP from Mumbai South Central, 69-year-old Anil Desai is regarded as both the party’s backroom strategist and its legal face.

Desai has handled organisational responsibilities for the party for years. Before entering the Lok Sabha, he served two consecutive terms as a Rajya Sabha MP.

Before foraying into active politics, Desai worked with the New India Assurance and was also associated with the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti.

During his early years in the Shiv Sena, Desai was involved in training students preparing for competitive examinations at Sena Bhavan.

After the party split in 2022, he was among the leaders who handled the Sena’s cases in the Supreme Court and Election Commission (EC), including matters related to the disqualification of MLAs and the battle over the party’s name and symbol.

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Desai was initially among the names being considered for the Mumbai South seat but was eventually fielded from Mumbai South Central, where he defeated Sena’s Rahul Shewale.

Desai accompanied Sawant during the meeting with Om Birla and said the current situation might not have arisen had the Supreme Court decided the Shiv Sena’s petition earlier.