The Congress attack comes amid growing political turbulence in Maharashtra and West Bengal, where allegations of attempts to engineer defections have dominated political discourse.
The controversy intensified after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged that efforts were underway to poach Members of Parliament from Maharashtra. In a late-night post on X, Raut claimed that an “advance of Rs 15 crore” was being offered to facilitate defections.
“There is information that an advance of Rs 15 crore will be given tonight to buy MPs from Maharashtra. This is shocking and disgusting,” Raut alleged.
His remarks came against the backdrop of speculation that a section of Lok Sabha MPs belonging to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) could break away from the party. The buzz gained momentum after ruling Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik publicly hinted that dissident MPs would be welcomed and given priority if they chose to switch sides.
Political circles were further abuzz after Raut travelled to Delhi, triggering speculation that he could meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to pre-empt any move by a group of party MPs to seek separate recognition in Parliament.
Meanwhile, a separate political realignment in West Bengal has added to Opposition concerns. On Sunday, 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs met speaker Om Birla and announced their merger with the National Congress of Progressive India (NCPI), a Tripura-based registered but unrecognised political party.
Rebel MP Arup Chakraborty later said the breakaway faction was attempting to “rectify” the party and intended to fight for control over the Trinamool Congress election symbol.
The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, however, dismissed the move as illegal and in violation of anti-defection provisions, setting the stage for a fresh political and legal battle.
With allegations of poaching, counterclaims of political realignment and growing unrest within Opposition ranks, the latest developments have sharpened the national debate over defections, parliamentary numbers and the future of India’s Opposition politics.
With PTI inputs
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