Maharashtra Assembly Speaker election: Shiv Sena's Rajan Salvi files nomination, to face first-time BJP MLA Rahul Narvekar

New Delhi: The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance has fielded Shiv Sena MLA Rajan Salvi against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Rahul Narvekar for the July 3 election for the post of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker. The MVA nominee filed his nomination on Saturday (July 2), while first-time BJP legislator Rahul Narvekar had filed his papers on Friday. NCP’s Jayant Patil and Dhananjay Munde, Congress’ Ashok Chavan and Shiv Sena’s Sunil Prabhu were present with Salvi when he filed his papers for the Speaker election. 

The two-day Special Session of the Maharashtra Assembly will be held beginning on Sunday and on July 4 the newly formed Eknath Shinde government will face the vote of confidence. 

The election was necessitated as the Assembly Speaker post has been vacant since Congress’ Nana Patole quit the post in February 2021, following his appointment as the state party chief. 

BJP MLC Pravin Darekar expressed confidence in Narvekar’s victory, an MLA from Colaba Assembly constituency in Mumbai. Narvekar is the son-in-law of NCP leader Ramraje Nimbalkar, who is chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. 

Meanwhile, as per IANS, Congress compromised the post for a Shiv Sena candidate after a discussion among the three allies including Nationalist Congress Party. Earlier on Friday, Congress had raised questions on Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari allowing the Speaker's election now when he refused to consent to it when Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA alliance was in power. "We got a reply (from the Governor) that the matter was sub-judice. The (Bombay) HC had already rejected a petition challenging our decision to amend rules regarding Speaker's election making it through voice vote and it was pending before the Supreme court," Thorat said.

"Will the Governor allow the election through voice vote or secret ballot?" he further said asking what has changed now.

(With agency inputs)