Rahul Narvekar Elected Maharashtra Speaker Unopposed As Oppn Refuses To File Nomination

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Rahul Narvekar was elected as the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker unopposed as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties refused to file nomination for the election, set to be held on Monday. 

However, a formal announcement will be made on Monday. Earlier in the day, Narwekar filed his nomination for the post of Speaker in the Maharashtra assembly. 

The speaker’s election will be held on December 9 and it will be followed by trust vote of the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government which was sworn-in on December 5.

ALSO READ | Maharashtra: Opposition Aghadi MLAs Take Oath A Day After Boycotting Ceremony Over EVM ‘Misuse’

Narwekar, the Speaker in the last assembly, was accompanied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. State BJP chief Chandrashekar Bawankule and senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil were also present.

#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: BJP’s Rahul Narvekar files his nomination for Speaker’s post in the state Assembly, in the presence of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadanvis, both Deputy CMs – Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Chandrakant Patil and… pic.twitter.com/Z04iuevTkB

— ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2024

Meanwhile, the MLA leaders have met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought the deputy speaker’s post for one of the constituent parties in the opposition alliance.

The leaders told Fadnavis the opposition would allow the speaker of the assembly to be elected unopposed but wanted the ruling side to follow protocol and give them the deputy speaker’s post.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi constitutes the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).

The delegation was led by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav. Later, the MVA leaders held a meeting to discuss the alliance’s floor strategy in the legislature. 

Senior BJP MLA Kalidas Kolambkar was serving as the pro-tem speaker of the assembly to administer the oath to 288 newly-elected MLAs and conduct proceedings of the assembly till the Speaker is elected. Kolambkar was nominated as the pro-tem is the senior-most legislator in the new house and won from Mumbai’s Wadala seat in last month’s assembly elections.