Eknath Shinde urges Om Birla to recognise Rahul Shewale as Shiv Sena's floor leader

|HT|

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said rebel MLAs' plea to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to recognise Rahul Shewale as the Shiv Sena's floor leader in the Lower House of Parliament had been addressed. Twelve Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena and Shinde met Birla earlier in the day with the request to replace Vinayak Raut, a loyalist of Uddhav Thackeray, as the floor leader. “Shiv Sena MPs too have supported us in our stand to uphold ideals of Balasaheb Thackeray,” Shinde, who took over the top after a rebellion against Thackeray, said in Delhi.

Shewale said Sena MPs had asked Thackeray not to support Margaret Alva as the joint Opposition's Vice Presidential candida post, “but our views were ignored”.

He further said Thackeray was keen on realigning with the BJP, but went back on his word.

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