Senior BJP MLA Kalidas Sulochana Kolambkar has been serving as the pro-tem Speaker of the Assembly
Rahul Narwekar submitted his nomination in the presence of CM Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, party leader Chandrakant Patil. Pic/X
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Rahul Narwekar on Sunday filed his nomination for the post of Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, hours after expressing his gratitude to the party's top leadership for the opportunity.
ADVERTISEMENT
Narwekar, who was previously the Speaker during the last term of the Mahayuti government, thanked key leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda, and Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis, for their trust in him. Speaking to ANI after filing his nomination, Narwekar said, “I am grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP’s national president JP Nadda and our CM Devendra Fadnavis for showing faith in me again and giving me this chance.”
Narwekar submitted his nomination in the presence of CM Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, party leader Chandrakant Patil, and others. The election for the Speaker’s post is scheduled to take place on Monday afternoon, ANI reported.
In a significant move, Narwekar is expected to be elected unopposed, as the opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), has decided not to contest the position. Narwekar, who was re-elected as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Colaba, Mumbai, had previously served as the Speaker for two-and-a-half years during the 14th assembly. During his tenure, he played a crucial role in key decisions related to the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The Speaker’s election will be followed by a floor test in the House to confirm the strength of the newly-formed government. Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan is also expected to address the joint session of both Houses of the state legislature shortly after.
Narwekar's re-election to the assembly comes as the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a decisive victory in the Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024. The Mahayuti coalition emerged as the dominant force, winning 235 seats, with the BJP securing the largest share of 132 seats. In contrast, the opposition MVA, which comprises Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Congress, and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), suffered a significant setback, winning just 46 seats combined.
In the 15th assembly, the Mahayuti coalition consists of BJP (132 MLAs), Shiv Sena (57 MLAs), Nationalist Congress Party (41 MLAs), along with smaller parties. MVA suffered a major setback with Congress winning just 16 seats. Its alliance partner, Shiv Sena (UBT), won 20 seats, while NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) secured only 10 seats.
(With ANI and PTI inputs)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
