Sixteen Shiv Sena MPs have told Uddhav Thackeray that the party must support NDA's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.

Out of these 16 MPs, 13 physically attended a meeting convened by Uddhav on Monday, while three others - Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Mandlik and Hemant Patil -- could not make it to the gathering, but affirmed their support to the leadership.

Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar told NDTV that all the MPs said that "Draupadi Murmu is a tribal woman and that's why they should vote for her."

Besides 18 Lok Sabha members in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena also has its MP, Kalaben Delkar, in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Most of the MPs were of the opinion that the party should support Droupadi Murmu, Kirtikar told PTI.

Two Lok Sabha MPs of the Sena - Bhawana Gawali and Shrikant Shinde (son of Chief minister Eknath Shinde) - did not attend the meeting, he added.

The presidential elections will be held on July 18.

Uddhav had called a meeting of the party MPs on Monday to take a decision on the next week's presidential election.

"The agenda is to discuss the party's stand on the presidential election slated to be held on July 18," Sena Rajya Sabha PM Sanjay Raut had told PTI.

In the past, the Shiv Sena had broken ranks with the NDA and supported the candidatures of Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee (both Congress leaders).

The Sena had left the NDA in 2019 and the Thackeray-led party then formed government with the Congress and NCP in Maharashtra after ditching long-term ally BJP.

Last week, Sena MPs Rahul Shewale and Rajendra Gavit had written to Thackeray and sought that the party back Murmu.

In June this year, a majority of the Sena MLAs, led by Eknath Shinde, rebelled against the party leadership, asking it to snap ties with the NCP and the Congress.

Eventually, Shinde joined hands with BJP to take over as the Maharshtra CM.

Uddhav Thackeray (L) File Picture

Uddhav writes to 15 MLAs backing him, lauds them for loyalty towards party

Mumbai: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has written a letter to 15 MLAs who continue to back him despite a rebellion in the party, lauding them for their "loyalty" towards the 56-year-old organisation and not falling prey to any inducements or threats to switch sides.

In the letter dated July 6, Thackeray, who resigned as the chief minister of Maharashtra late last month following the rebellion, said Sena founder late Bal Thackeray had always preached loyalty towards the party and that legislators who stayed back with him followed his teachings.

As a Shiv Sena MLA, you diligently followed his (Bal Thackeray's) teachings of loyalty. You did not fall prey to threats or inducements and remained loyal to the Shiv Sena. Maharashtra is proud of your stand and this will also strengthen the party, the letter said.

.Forty of the 55 Sena MLAs revolted against the party leadership that led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government on June 29.Fifteen MLAs, mostly from Mumbai and the coastal Konkan region, have remained loyal to the Thackerays.

The rebellion was led by senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who later took over as the new CM with support from the BJP. PTI PR RSY