Santosh Andhale / Mumbai Mirro

Mumbai, Jul 22: After Shiv Sena MP Tukaram Renge-Patil switched sides overnight to Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's camp, a wary Sena that has lost 'trust' in its MPs has deployed Sainik toughies as "escorts" to ensure that its Parliamentarians don't break ranks or meet people from the opposite camp.

These hardcore Sainiks have not only been following the MPs in New Delhi like shadows for the last two days, but one Sainik each was sent to the Delhi flats of 11 Sena MPs to spend last night there -- just in case the opponents get in touch with the Lok Sabha members late in the night or in the early hours.

Sena's Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut confirmed that Sainiks were escorting party MPs in the national capital but said the intention was not to spy on them ahead of the trust vote scheduled today. "They (Sainiks) are there but not to act as spies. We just want to keep mischievous elements at bay so that they do not prey on our MPs," he said.

The Sainik guards have gone to Delhi from Mumbai and were handpicked by some senior leaders, sources said.

However, the Sena MPs -- most of whom have flats in New Delhi's North Avenue and South Avenue, with a few putting up at bungalows in Lodhi Estate in south Delhi -- are reportedly upset about the lack of faith the party has shown in them.

One of the MPs, who did not wish to be named, said, "There are restrictions on our movements as we're being followed by Sainiks everywhere. It's exasperating."

Abhijit Panse, president of Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Sena, the Sena's student wing, said, "We were also supposed to go to Delhi, but we were told that there are already a sufficient number of Sainiks who have gone to the national capital."

Raut said the Sena's flock of MPs is intact and there would be no problem for the party today.

Meanwhile, sources in the Sena said "search operations" for Renge Patil were still under way and added that there was still a possibility of him coming back to the Sena fold.