TMC MP Saket Gokhale claimed on Tuesday that the balance of power in the Lok Sabha might soon shift as three BJP MPs from West Bengal are in contact with the opposition.
“As of today, the numbers in the Lok Sabha are BJP: 240, INDIA: 237. BJP MPs in West Bengal are in touch with us & there will be a nice surprise soon. After that, BJP: 237, INDIA: 240,” Gokhale posted on X.
"Modi’s creaky coalition is a temporary structure which isn’t going to last very long," Gokhale further stated, signalling the instability within the current BJP-led NDA government.
This development comes amidst growing tensions in Maharashtra, where the Mahayuti government has claimed that two newly elected MPs from Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena are in touch with them. Recently, Eknath Shinde’s Sena spokesperson Naresh Mhaske, without naming the members due to anti-defection laws, mentioned that two MPs were unhappy with Thackeray’s campaigning methods and that four additional lawmakers were expected to join them in supporting PM Modi.
“The two Lok Sabha members were unhappy with the manner in which Uddhav Thackeray sought votes from a particular community, who came in busloads,” said Mhaske, who himself is a newly elected Lok Sabha MP from Thane. He assured that six MPs in total would soon align with the Shinde-led faction.
Mhaske’s remarks followed claims by Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut that several MLAs and MPs from Shinde’s faction were ready to return to Thackeray. However, Sachin Ahir of Shiv Sena UBT dismissed the allegations, asserting that their party has no intentions of aligning with defectors, even if it means losing seats. Ahir highlighted that some MPs from the Shinde faction denied tickets, had approached Thackeray’s camp but were turned away.
As the political landscape in India remains volatile after the Lok Sabha elections in which the BJP failed to secure a majority on its own, these claims are expected to make leaders at both the national level and in Maharashtra nervous. In addition to this, with the state Assembly elections in Maharashtra just around the corner, the potential defections and realignments could reshape the political dynamics at both the state and central levels.
