Rebel Shiv Sena MPs meet Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, demand change of floor leader

Vinayak Raut in his letter submitted to the Speaker on Monday night had made it clear that he was the "duly appointed" leader of the Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party

Twelve Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's son Shrikant Shinde, met Speaker Om Birla on July 19 and requested him to change the party's floor leader in the Lower House of Parliament.

The rebel Shiv Sena MPs met Mr. Birla a day after the party's floor leader, Vinayak Raut, gave a letter to the Speaker, asking him not to entertain any representation from the rival faction.

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"Twelve Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena met Speaker Om Birla and requested him to appoint Rahul Shewale in place of Vinayak Raut as the party's floor leader," Hemant Godse, one of the 12 MPs of the Shinde faction who met Mr. Birla, said.

Mr. Raut, in his letter submitted to the Speaker on Monday night, had made it clear that he was the "duly appointed" leader of the Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party and Rajan Vichare was the chief whip.