Election for Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Scheduled for Monday, BJP's Rahul Narvekar Leads the Race
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Mumbai, Dec 7 (NationPress) The election for the position of Speaker in the newly formed 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly is set to take place on Monday.
As per the electoral schedule issued by the state legislature secretariat, candidates must submit their nominations by 12 p.m. on Sunday.
The BJP is expected to maintain its hold on the Speaker's position, with party legislator Rahul Narwekar emerging as the leading candidate. Narwekar previously served as the Speaker of the 14th State Assembly from July 2022.
Sources within the BJP indicated that Narwekar plans to file his nominations prior to the 12 p.m. deadline on Sunday.
If the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which has 50 legislators, opts to nominate a candidate, a contested election will take place on Monday. However, if they choose not to participate, the nominee from the BJP-led MahaYuti will be declared elected unopposed. A new Speaker is scheduled to assume office on Monday.
Nevertheless, Narwekar commented, “The party will determine a nominee for the Speaker’s election. There are numerous capable leaders within the BJP. The party has provided me with much without demanding anything in return. If the party chooses to assign me a role, I will fulfill that responsibility.”
During his tenure in the 14th State Assembly, Narwekar made two significant rulings following the split within the Shiv Sena and NCP. In January of this year, he determined that the Eknath Shinde faction was the legitimate and “real Shiv Sena,” possessing the support of the majority of the party’s MLAs. Similarly, in February, he recognized Ajit Pawar’s faction as the legitimate entity.
As the three-day special session of the 15th State Assembly commenced on Saturday, the proceedings were overseen by pro-tem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar, a veteran BJP legislator serving his ninth term.
