Eknath Shinde faction wins first round in numbers game in assembly

Amid simmering tensions between the two factions of the Shiv Sena, the two-day special Maharashtra legislative assembly session kicked off today on Sunday (July 3). A major highlight of the session being the election of the Speaker of the House – BJP’s Rahul Narwekar, a lawyer by profession.

Narwekar, who was pitted against the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s candidate Rajan Salvi, polled 164 votes, while 107 legislators voted against him. “Two MLA’s couldn’t come due to health issues. We would prove our majority with 166 votes in tomorrow’s vote of confidence,” said deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, referring to the floor test to be held in the legislative assembly tomorrow (June 4).

The 45-year old Narwekar, who has become the country’s youngest Speaker, took charge amid chants of Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji, Jai Sri Ram, Vande Mataram.

Narwekar, who hails from Sawantwadi, is the son of Suresh Narwekar, a former BMC corporator and the son-in-law of senior NCP leader Ramraje Nimbalkar, the former chairman of the legislative council. He has been with the Sena as well as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the past but joined the BJP before the October 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections. The saffron party fielded him from the upmarket Colaba constituency in South Mumbai, which he won.

Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde, while making his first address on the floor of the Maharashtra assembly as a Chief Minister, said that the decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to let him lead the government despite having more members than his side has “opened the eyes of many”. He also said that after the collapse of the MVA government in the state, a “BJP-Shiv Sena government” has taken charge, which is based on the beliefs of party founder Balasaheb Thackeray.

Also read: Green activists up in arms again as Maharashtra moves Metro-3 shed back to Aarey

Even Kasab did not have such security

On Sunday, Aaditya Thackeray lashed out at the rebel MLAs (Eknath Shinde faction) saying that they were unable to look them in the eye. “How long are you going to move from one hotel to the other?” he asked, adding that these MLAs will have to go to their assembly constituencies one day.

“How will they face the people then?” Aaditya Thackeray asked. He also questioned the elaborate security arrangements in place for rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, as they reached the Vidhan Bhavan premises from a nearby luxury hotel to attend the session.

“We have not seen such security before in Mumbai. Why are you scared? Is someone going to run away? Why so much fear?” Thackeray said, as the Shinde group MLAs reached Vidhan Bhavan in special buses.

The Aarey Colony controversy

One of the first decision made in the first cabinet meeting of the new government in the state was to to overturn the previous MVA government’s order to move the Metro-3 car shed from Aarey to the 102-acre salt pan land in Kanjurmarg.

The dispute over the construction of a Metro car shed at Aarey has been ongoing since 2014. The move to shift the car shed from Aarey to Kanjurmarg was a major bone of contention between the Shiv Sena and its former ally, the BJP.

Tweeting on the issue, Aaditya Thackerary urged the government to reconsider its decision. He said, don’t cast the hate on us, on to our beloved Mumbai, he said.

Aarey isn’t only about 2700+ trees, it is about its biodiversity that we are seeking to protect in our Mumbai. There are daily sightings of leopards and other smaller species in the carshed spot and around it. We’re proud of declaring more than 800 acres as forest around it, he tweeted.

Before entering the legislative assembly, CM Eknath Shinde and loyalist MLAs paid tributes at the statue of Balasaheb Thackeray, near Colaba’s Regal cinema.

This is the current party position in the Assembly:

Shiv Sena 55
NCP 53
Congress 44
BJP 106
Bahujan Vikas Aghadi 3
Samajwadi Party 2
AIMIM 2
Prahar Janshakti Party 2
MNS 1
CPI (M) 1
PWP 1
Swambhimani Paksha 1
Rashtriya Samaj Paksha 1
Jansurajya Shakti Party 1
Krantikari Shetkari Party 1
Independents 13.

The death of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke last month has led to a vacancy. Two NCP members – former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and food and civil supplies minister, Chhagan Bhujbal – have tested COVID-19 positive, while two other party legislators – Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik – are currently in jail.