Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has approved the merger of six MPs elected on Shiv Sena (UBT) tickets with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, while also allowing a separate seating arrangement for 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmakers who have broken away from their parent party.

The decisions, taken just two days before the session begins on July 20, reshape the composition of the Lok Sabha even as legal disputes over the defections continue.

Shiv Sena strength rises; TMC rebels get separate seating

With the merger of the six MPs, the strength of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the Lok Sabha has risen to 13.

In the TMC's case, the Speaker has only approved separate seating for the rebel MPs. No final decision has yet been taken on their request for recognition as members of the NCPI, a registered but unrecognised political party headquartered in Howrah, West Bengal.

The rebel TMC MPs are also expected to attend Sunday's all-party meeting ahead of the Monsoon Session.

How the numbers changed

The Trinamool Congress won 29 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 general election. Since then, 20 MPs have broken away from the party and aligned themselves with the NCPI. One TMC MP has died, leaving the seat vacant.

The rebel group has also declared support for the Narendra Modi-led government and expressed its desire to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena (UBT) had won nine Lok Sabha seats in 2024. Six of those MPs have since joined the rival Shiv Sena headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

TMC and Shiv Sena (UBT) oppose the Speaker's move

Both the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) had urged the Speaker to disqualify the rebel MPs under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, arguing that the defections attract the anti-defection law.

The parties contended that the constitutional protection available in cases of merger applies only when two-thirds of the original political party merges with another party, and not merely when two-thirds of a legislature party switches allegiance.

TMC general secretary and Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee submitted 20 separate disqualification petitions against the rebel MPs. He argued before the Speaker that the rebels' claim of having merged with the NCPI was legally untenable because the original political party itself had not merged.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders also met Birla and sought details of the representations submitted by the six rebel MPs.

Party MP Anil Desai said they informed the Speaker that the Tenth Schedule clearly states that a legislature party cannot independently merge with another political party merely because it has the support of two-thirds of its members.

Speaker consulted legal experts before taking a call

Before arriving at the decisions, Birla met delegations from both the parent parties and the breakaway groups.

He held separate meetings with a TMC delegation led by Abhishek Banerjee and with the rebel group led by Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. The rebel MPs discussed seating arrangements and also sought office space in the new Parliament building.

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A similar consultative exercise was carried out with representatives of the Shiv Sena (UBT).

According to official sources, the Speaker also consulted constitutional and legal experts attached to Parliament before making his decision. Past rulings by former Lok Sabha Speakers and Rajya Sabha Chairmen in comparable cases were examined to ensure that the decisions were legally sound.

DMK also seeks separate seating

Apart from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and TMC developments, the DMK has also requested a separate seating arrangement in the Lok Sabha.

The request follows the Congress' decision to end its decades-old alliance with the Tamil Nadu party and join hands with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

Sources indicated that the Speaker is also likely to accept the DMK's request.

Monsoon Session begins July 20

The Speaker's decisions come just ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which begins on July 20.

While the merger of the Shiv Sena MPs has now been approved, the status of the rebel TMC lawmakers as an independent parliamentary group remains undecided, with their request for formal recognition as the NCPI still awaiting a final ruling.

With PTI inputs