New Delhi, June 24: Following the recent split in the Shiv Sena (UBT), Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Wednesday called party leaders for a meeting at 5 PM later in the day, as per sources.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Arvind Sawant and Anil Desai will meet the Speaker and present their side regarding the developments involving the rebel faction of MPs.

The Thackeray-led faction has been asked to appear before the Speaker and place its position on the matter. Sawant and Desai are expected to request the Speaker not to grant recognition to the rebel faction of MPs.

This comes after six Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs -- Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, Omprakash Bhupalsingh Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh and Nagesh Bapurao Patil Ashtikar -- formally joined the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde on Monday, leading to the success of "Operation Tiger."

Earlier in the day, UBT MP Sanjay Raut called for a "fight against traitors of Maharashtra" after six party MPs switched to the Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Sharing a picture of himself holding a gun, Sanjay Raut wrote on X, "Na thake kabhi pair, Na kabhi himmat haari hai. Ladna hai Maharashtra ke gaddaron ke khilaaf, Hausla hai buland, Safar jaari hai! Jai Maharashtra, Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji! (Never have the feet ever tired, Never has courage ever been lost.. We must fight against the traitors of Maharashtra, the spirit is soaring high, the journey continues! Jai Maharashtra Jai Bhavani Jai Shivaji!)."

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray, meanwhile, intensified his attacks on Eknath Shinde, whom he repeatedly referred to as "Fakenath Minde."

While the defecting MPs have stated a fund crunch as the reason behind switching to the ruling camp, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske has accused Sanjay Raut of the party's downfall.

Mhaske said, "It is the result of Eknath Shinde's hard work and the people's faith in his leadership. The party is moving forward under his guidance, and that very trust is drawing people to us...Six MPs have already joined, and the remaining will also come over to us. I say this with full confidence because of the decline of the UBT faction."

"Sanjay Raut is trying to take control of the party. Party workers, office bearers, and public representatives are frustrated by this kind of behaviour. His mental state has deteriorated. Given the party's decline and considering that elected representatives reach their positions through hard work, if they receive no support from the party, they will naturally seek a different path." (ANI)