Six Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentarians were likely to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Delhi to submit a letter for the formation of a separate group, even as the party's parliamentary party chief Arvind Sawant issued a whip asking all nine Lok Sabha and one Rajya Sabha member to attend a meeting on Thursday. Sawant wrote to Birla requesting him not to recognise any breakaway group of Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentarians.Shiv Sena is facing an internal crisis (PTI)People aware of the matter said Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentarians Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Sanjay Patil, and Omraje Nimbalkar were likely to meet in Delhi on Wednesday before meeting Birla and submitting the letter. Jadhav is likely to be elected as the leader of the new group before it is expected to merge with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction. The six lawmakers were at an undisclosed location in Delhi, while Shinde was also in the national capital.Shinde replaced Uddhav Thackeray as the Maharashtra chief minister with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s help after splitting the Shiv Sena in June 2022. He was made the deputy chief minister when the BJP-led coalition returned to power in Maharashtra in 2024.Shiv Sena (UBT) is on the verge of a split, days after 20 Trinamool Congress (TMC) parliamentarians defected and allied with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The developments come as the NDA government is keen on passing the delimitation bill. The NDA is short of 46 members needed for a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha for it. The TMC played a key role in defeating the constitution amendment bill for delimitation earlier this year.Shiv Sena (UBT) said that those who do not attend the meeting as per the party whip would face legal action. “Our parliamentary party chief Arvind Sawant has asked all 10 MPs [members of Parliament] to attend a meeting of Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentary party at 11am on Thursday,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut at a press conference in Delhi.“All nine MPs were elected on the symbol of Shiv Sena (UBT) and in the name of Uddhav Thackeray. They have no right to betray the party. This time, people will not tolerate. There will be a reaction."He said the rebel lawmakers were flown in chartered planes. “I got a call from an important person. He said each of the MPs was offered ₹50 crore to leave the party. ₹15 crore was given as an advance. I was even told the MPs were not willing to sit in the chartered planes until they got an advance,” said Raut.The BJP maintained it had nothing to do with the potential split in Shiv Sena (UBT). “We do not know anything about it,” said Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule.On Tuesday, Sawant wrote to Birla, saying Shiv Sena (UBT) continues to be recognised as a single political party represented in the House through its duly authorised leader and whip. "...no separate recognition, status, privilege or facility be accorded to any purported faction or breakaway group claiming to represent the party,” he wrote.Sawant said no decision should be taken on any such request, if received, without first allowing the Shiv Sena (UBT) to place its submissions.