Sanjay Raut appointed Sena MPs’ leader

Mumbai: Senior Shiv Sena leader and party spokesperson MP Sanjay Raut has been appointed as the group leader of the Shiv Sena’s parliamentary party for the Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha.

The Sena has 18 MPs in the Lok Sabha and three in the Rajya Sabha. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has written to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, notifying her about Mr Raut’s appointment, a party source said.

Anandrao Adsul has been the Sena’s party group leader in the Lower House, while Mr Raut has been representing the party as the group leader in the Rajya Sabha.

Mr Thackeray’s decision comes in the wake of the Sena chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Chandrakant Khaire, issuing a whip to party MPs to vote for the government against the Opposition’s no-trust motion in July this year. Mr Thackeray had later dismissed the whip and clarified that the party’s decision was to abstain from voting, which the MPs had followed. The development establishes the Sena chief’s confidante Mr Raut’s command over all Sena MPs and means Mr Adsul and Mr Khaire will now work under his overall leadership in Parliament.