NEW DELHI: The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Tuesday approached the Supreme Court challenging Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's decision to approve the merger of its six MPs with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, mentioned the matter before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, seeking an urgent hearing on Wednesday. Responding to the request, the Chief Justice said, "We will see."Kamat told the bench that Speaker Om Birla had approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena on July 18.

He argued that the development had wider constitutional implications, saying it had become "a national phenomenon" where MPs were joining the very parties they had contested elections against.The petition challenges the Speaker's decision to recognise the merger, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction seeking the Supreme Court's intervention against the move.What we know so far?With the Speaker formally approving the merger, the strength of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Lok Sabha has come down to just three MPs, while the Shinde-led Shiv Sena's tally has risen from seven to 13 MPs.

The party has now become the third-largest constituent of the NDA, after the BJP (239 MPs) and the TDP (16 MPs), overtaking Nitish Kumar's JD(U), which has 12 MPs.Reacting to the development, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said the six MPs joined his party to secure development for their constituencies and not for "personal gains". Dismissing allegations that the lawmakers were induced to switch sides with money, Shinde said the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena needed to introspect on why its leaders were leaving the party. "These six MPs have joined us to ensure justice and development for the people who elected them. We will ensure they receive development funds and every possible support," he said.