India, July 19 -- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) lawmakers with the Shiv Sena and allotted a separate seating arrangement for 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs.

The decision came two days ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament that begins on Monday. The TMC rebels' plan to secure recognition as members of Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a nondescript party based in West Bengal, still awaits clearance from the Lok Sabha's top office.

A senior official said that the merger issue of the TMC rebels was "under consideration" and "an appropriate decision would be taken shortly". Two TMC rebels told HT they were hopeful that it would be approved in a ...