BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar has been unanimously elected Speaker of the 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, a major moment in the political landscape of the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in his congratulatory remarks, noted that Narwekar is only the second member of the lower house to be re-elected to this prestigious position since Maharashtra’s formation in 1960.
Fadnavis said that Balasaheb Bharde was the first Speaker to be elected for the second time consecutively since 1960. He explained that while Kundanmal Firodia was the first Speaker who got re-elected during the Bombay state era, Narwekar’s election is an extension of that privilege.
He filed his nomination papers on Sunday and there was no contestant against him as MVA, the opposition alliance, decided not to contest. A key player in the Maharashtra politics, Narwekar was the Speaker for two and half years and re-elected from Colaba assembly seat in the elections which were held on November 20.
In his first stint, Narwekar was known for some of his decisive verdicts on party legitimacy, especially after the split in the Shiv Sena headed by Uddhav Thackeray. He had upheld the faction led by Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena and declared Ajit Pawar’s faction as the true NCP.
Fadnavis said, “The first term of Narwekarji was like an agnipariksha. Despite several legal issues coming up during the confidence vote, he showed his legal acumen and maintained his composure in the face of personal attacks.
The Chief Minister further referred to Narwekar’s family ties, pointing out that he is related to former state minister and ex-chairman of the state legislative council, Ramraje Nimbalkar, and therefore his family ties could have enriched his legislative acumen.
The election of Narwekar will be followed by a floor test aimed at establishing the strength of the new government, while Governor CP Radhakrishnan is scheduled to address a joint session of both Houses of the state legislature.
The Mahayuti coalition led by the BJP won convincingly in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections with more than 230 out of the total 288, whereas MVA managed to grab only 46. Presently, the party-wise break-up in the 15th assembly is: BJP 132, Shiv Sena-57, NCP-41, and others from different parties and independents. The opposition camp comprises Shiv Sena (UBT)-20, Congress-16, NCP(SP)-10, and others.
