The election for the post of Maharashtra Assembly Speaker was crucial in view of the recent turn of events in the state.
Rahul Narvekar, a member of the BJP, easily exceeded the threshold for a majority in the head count election to choose the speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly. He was competing against Rajan Salvi, a Shiv Sena MLA who was on the Uddhav Thackeray team.
The two Shiv Sena factions, one led by Eknath Shinde and the other by Uddhav Thackeray, had previously issued whips urging the MLAs to support their respective Speaker candidates.
Since Nana Patole of Congress resigned in February 2021 to become his party’s state unit president, the position of Assembly Speaker has been vacant. Acting Speaker since the absence of the Speaker was Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal.
Given the recent turn of events in the state, the election for Assembly Speaker is quite important. According to legal experts, the Speaker may decide to drop the disqualification charges against 16 rebel MLAs, including newly-installed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal gave them the disqualification notifications last month.
Experts think the organization won’t need to join forces with any other political party if the Speaker recognizes the Shinde faction as the “genuine” Shiv Sena. Eknath Shinde has asserted that, with a 2/3rd majority, he is the Sena’s legislative party leader.
On Monday, the assembly will put the Eknath Shinde administration to the test. Along with 50 MLAs who were staying at a Goa hotel after returning from Assam, including 39 Sena dissidents, Mr. Shinde arrived in Mumbai last night.
For engaging in “anti-party activities,” Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray ousted Mr. Shinde as party leader on Friday. As the “true” Sena at this point, the Shinde group claims it will appeal the ruling.
The conflict now centers on seizing control of the Shiv Sena, the organization Mr. Thackeray’s father Bal Thackeray established and which helped the Shinde camp form the government.
On Wednesday, Uddhav Thackeray announced his resignation as chief minister after the Supreme Court declined to block the governor’s-ordered no-trust vote in the legislature.
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