The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has firmly rejected rumours of a merger with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Arvind Ganpat Sawant, the leader of the Shiv Sena(UBT) Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha, has issued a formal communication to six MPs who defected to the Shinde camp.

The MPs are Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Jadhav, Nagesh Ashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh and Bhausaheb Waghchaure.

The letter addresses speculation regarding a purported merger and warns against unsanctioned moves by party legislators. Sawant states that the original Shiv Sena(UBT) political party has neither initiated, agreed to, nor permitted any merger with Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena or any other political entity. This stance has been officially affirmed by Paksha Pramukh (President) Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray.

The letter reminds those six MPs that he was elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on the ticket, symbol, mandate, and support of the Shiv Sena(UBT). Sawant pointed out that the election was fought directly against candidates fielded by Eknath Shinde’s faction.

Sawant highlighted that under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India, individual legislators do not have the legal authority to independently bring about or effect a merger of a political party. They only have the option to accept or reject a merger initiated by the original parent party.

The communication was prompted by public reports suggesting that Nimbalkar, along with other MPs, was attempting to portray a “merger” between the two factions and had approached the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking official recognition for the same.

In response, Sawant wrote, ‘’In the absence of any merger of the original political party, no question of any merger of the legislature party arises. Further, no such merger is permissible or contemplated in law.”

Sawant’s letter comes at a time when the Shiv Sena(UBT) has already filed representations with the Lok Sabha Speaker, requesting that no demands for a merger or separate group recognition from MPs elected on the UBT symbol be entertained.

According to the letter, the Speaker recently granted a hearing to an authorised representative of the Shiv Sena (UBT). As of date, the Speaker has not passed any order recognising any claims of a merger.

A copy of the letter sent to six defected MPs has been forwarded to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha to formally record the party’s strong opposition to any such recognition.

Ayodhya, July 13: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Monday invited applications from eligible candidates for the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the temple as the controversy surrounding the donation irregularities deepens.

The selected candidate will be responsible for heading the temple’s administrative management and supervising its day-to-day functioning.

According to the notification issued by the Trust, interested and eligible candidates must submit their applications by 4 p.m. on July 18. The recruitment process has been initiated after a selection committee finalised the eligibility criteria and other conditions for the appointment.

As per the prescribed qualifications, applicants must hold a graduate degree and possess a minimum of 20 years of experience in administration or finance.

The Trust has also stated that preference will be given to candidates with prior experience in temple administration or management. In addition, applicants are required to be followers of the Hindu faith.

The recruitment process comes at a time when the Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre, the Uttar Pradesh government and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on petitions seeking an independent, court-monitored investigation into the alleged misappropriation of donations made to the Ram Temple.

The apex court has also directed the Uttar Pradesh government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) to submit a status report and disclose the composition of the investigating team.

According to the Trust, the selected Chief Executive Officer will initially be appointed for a period of three years.

The successful candidate will also be required to reside in Ayodhya throughout the tenure to effectively oversee the temple’s administrative and operational responsibilities.

The selection committee has additionally decided to appoint a Secretary to assist in carrying out the recruitment process and facilitate the appointment of the new Chief Executive Officer.

The development assumes significance in view of the ongoing controversy relating to the alleged embezzlement of donations received by the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

Earlier on Sunday, in an interview with media, Ram Mandir Construction Committee Chairman Nripendra Misra hoped that the new arrangement at the Ram Mandir, including the appointment of a Chief Executive Officer answerable to the temple trust, will continue to focus on the welfare of devotees who have shown no signs of ‘distrust’ in the system.

Misra indicated that it was time to add another layer to strengthen the system for preventing a recurrence of the regrettable donation row. He said the CEO will look into the entire state of affairs, seeking advice from the general secretary and mandate from the trust, with no scope for government interference.

“The CEO will be an additional link in the system. The hierarchy of the existing system is not being disturbed. The trust is supreme, and its decisions will be final,” said Misra over the work profile and powers of an official.

New Delhi, July 13: A Delhi Police constable allegedly shot his wife dead in East Delhi’s Kalyanpuri area following a domestic dispute, police said on Monday.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the couple had been experiencing frequent marital discord for some time and were often involved in arguments over personal issues.

According to the police, the incident took place after another altercation broke out between the couple on Sunday.

The officials said the husband and wife had left their residence together on a scooter, but the argument reportedly continued while they were travelling.

During the course of the investigation, police recovered CCTV footage that allegedly captured the couple stopping their scooter on the roadside before stepping off the vehicle.

The footage is said to show them engaging in a heated argument moments before the shooting took place.

According to sources, the CCTV footage shows the constable and his wife stopping their scooter and stepping off the vehicle. They were seen arguing when the constable took out his service pistol and shot his wife.

The investigators said that the accused allegedly fled the spot immediately after the incident. Police teams have since launched a search operation to trace him and are scanning CCTV footage from the surrounding area as well as along the possible escape routes to reconstruct his movements and establish the exact sequence of events.

The accused constable was posted with the Anti-Theft Squad of the East district at the time of the incident.

As part of the investigation, police are also questioning family members and other individuals known to the couple to understand the circumstances that allegedly led to the fatal shooting.

Police have registered a case in connection with the incident and said further investigation is currently underway.