Shinde, Fadnavis to voice vote for new speaker

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s strategy for the twoday session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly to elect its candidate Rahul Narvekar as the new speaker of the lower house, will likely find political opportunity for the freshly-minted Maharashtra Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde. He will try and stamp his authority over the Shiv Sena party. 

The CM is expected to carry out the speaker’s election by a voice vote to further embarrass former CM Uddhav Thackeray loyalist MLAs, even though at least one Sena MLA is expected to absent himself ostensibly due to an alleged COVID-19 infection. Meanwhile, the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is now following a wait and watch policy over the process of government formation in Maharashtra, while expecting fissures over portfolio allocations to break out into the open. A Sena ex-minister’s aide told First India, “The new CM Eknath Shinde’s late-night flight to Goa was necessitated to quell infighting among the 40 rebel Sena MLAs, most of whom are demanding a plum portfolio in the new government. We are hopeful that the discontent will lead to ‘ghar wapsi’ of many disgruntled MLAs who fail to make the cut. That is why the BJP has consciously devised a threephased game plan to announce Shinde’s new council of cabinet ministers and ministers of state.”

He added that Thackeray’s loyalist MLAs numbering 16, would probably attend the Assembly session. Although, the matter of no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Narhari Sitaram Zirwal, as well as, the disqualification of the Shinde camp’s 16 MLAs is currently sub-judice pending the decision of the Supreme Court on July 11, 2022. CM Shinde may issue a whip for all party MLAs belonging to the Shiv Sena, including the 16 Uddhav Thackeray loyalists, to remain present in the state Assembly on Sunday. He may ask them to vocally vote for the BJP-proposed candidate Rahul Narvekar to not only effectively lay claim over the party itself, but also the party symbol of ‘dhanush baan’ (bow and arrow).

A senior BJP leader said, “The real issue is not about who is demanding what portfolio. However, independent MLA Bacchu Kadu’s three-MLA party is seeking the rural development portfolio, as is another independent MLA in the Shinde camp. With its emphasis on ‘clean’ candidates, the BJP is not likely to give a berth in the state cabinet of ministers to rebel Sena MLAs like Pratap Sarnaik and Yamini Jadhav, both of whom are under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate. It would send the wrong message that tainted politicians were seeking to ally with the BJP simply to avoid criminal prosecution.” Even the 10-odd MLAs leaving will not dent the sheer majority that the BJP supported government enjoys, he added.