MUMBAI, June 19 -- A split in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Lok Sabha unit appears certain as six of the party's nine MPs defied the party whip, skipping a meeting of the parliamentary unit on Thursday. The party has issued show cause notices to the dissident MPs. The breakaway group of MPs, who plan to merge with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, had said in a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla that they have no faith in their party, which had "moved away from the ideology of their founder Bal Thackeray". They also feared the party would merge with the Congress, they claimed. The speaker's office had not issued any order on the letter until Thursday evening or confirmed any such meetings. Since the breakaway group consists of six MPs, they will not attract the provisions of the anti-defection law as they comprise two-thirds of the Sena (UBT)'s nine Lok Sabha MPs. If the merger goes through, it would take the Sena's strength in the Lok Sabha to 13. None of the rebel MPs have made a public appearance but further revelations are expected on Friday, the 60th foundation day of undivided Shiv Sena. Both Sena factions have organised separate functions in Mumbai, and sparks are expected to fly as Thackeray and Shinde address their respective party leaders and workers. After the dissident MPs defied the party's whip, the Sena (UBT)'s group leader in the Lok Sabha, Arvind Sawant, was furious. "Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray had instructed that if any member of parliament defected to another party, he should be trampled on in the street," he said. Senior party leader and Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP, Raut added, "These people are selling their mother's milk. This time, they will not get away with treachery. We will ensure they face the consequences." 'Operation Tiger', the Sena's bid to poach elected representatives from the rival camp, has been in play ever since Shinde split the Sena and joined forces with the ruling BJP in Maharashtra in 2022. The latest push, the second major division for Thackeray, moved with unusual speed, catching the Sena (UBT) leadership off-guard. The first sign that the operation was underway surfaced four days ago, when some Sena (UBT) MPs failed to personally attend a meeting called by Thackeray at his residence in Mumbai. Then, on Tuesday, the rebel MPs severed communication with party leaders. It reached a decisive stage when the six dissident MPs defied the party's meeting Delhi on Thursday. Those who defied the whip are: Sanjay Jadhav (Parbhani), Bhausaheb Wakchaure (Shirdi), Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), Nagesh Patil Ashtikar (Hingoli), Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North-East) and Omraje Nimbalkar (Dharashiv). Just briefly, there was hope that Sanjay Patil and Omraje Nimbalkar, who supported Thackeray when Shinde split the party in 2022, might not join the other four rebels. On Wednesday, Patil had in fact insisted that he was with the Sena (UBT) but skipped the meeting on Thursday. Following the meeting, the Sena (UBT) said, "We are issuing notices (to all six MPs) seeking an explanation for their absence from today's meeting. They must respond within seven days, after which we will explore legal options," said Arvind Sawant. The breakaway MPs are expected to meet Shinde in Mumbai ahead of the party's foundation day celebrations on Friday. A senior Sena minister said the rebel group is waiting for the Lok Sabha speaker's reply to their letter seeking a merger with the Sena, before taking the next step. "There is the possibility that a seventh MP could join the six others," said a Sena insider. He also claimed the rebel MPs were not bound by the party's whip. "The Sena (UBT) MPs were demanding a meeting with party chief Uddhav Thackeray. They pleaded with parliamentary party leader Arvind Sawant, who paid no heed. The MPs felt their party would merge with the Congress and hence decided to form a separate group," claimed Sena MP and spokesperson Naresh Mhaske. Raut maintains that the dissident MPs had accepted large sums of money to switch sides. "They agreed only after receiving Rs.15 crore as an advance," he alleged. On the rebels' claim that Sena (UBT) leadership may merge with the Congress, Sawant said, "People who say that are scumbags. How low can these people stoop? Are they really suggesting that the party founded by Bal Thackeray would merge with Congress? By saying that, they are implying that Thackeray saheb would abandon his own identity and legacy. This is absurd."...