Opposition boycotts proceedings of special session in Maharashtra Legislature

Pic/Sameer Abedi

The Opposition MLAs boycotted the day's proceedings of the special session of the Maharashtra Legislature. They said they will not take oath today.

Speaking outside the house, the MVA raised doubts over working of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM).

A special three-day session of the newly-constituted 288-member Maharashtra legislative assembly began here on Saturday, where MLAs will be administered the oath of office.

Senior BJP MLA Kalidas Kolambkar on Friday took oath as a legislator and was then appointed pro-tem speaker of legislative assembly by Governor C P Radhakrishnan.

A nine-time MLA, Kolambkar is the senior most legislator in the House and represents the Wadala assembly constituency in Mumbai.

As pro-tem speaker, he will administer the oath of office to the rest of the 287 newly-elected MLAs.

The assembly speaker's election will be held on December 9, which will be followed by a trust vote of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government and the governor's address to the joint sitting of both the houses of the state legislature.

Results of the November 20 assembly polls were declared on November 23, wherein the Mahayuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) registered a resounding victory by winning 230 of the 288 assembly seats.

The new government was sworn in on December 5 with Devendra Fadnavis returning as the chief minister, while Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar took oath as deputy chief ministers.