The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker’s election will be held on December 28 while filing of nominations will be up to December 27. The election will be held through voice vote instead of secret ballot. The ongoing winter session will conclude on December 28.
The poll schedule was released on Thursday a day after the state assembly through voice vote passed the motion to amend rules with regard to holding the assembly speaker’s election through voice vote instead of secret ballot. The duration of inviting suggestions and objections was reduced from 10 days to one day which will be till Thursday noon.
Congress legislators including former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, Sangram Thopte and Amin Patel are the front runners. On the other hand, BJP, which opposed the government’s move to hold the election through voice vote instead of secret ballot, has announced to field its candidate.
State Congress chief Nana Patole on Tuesday met the party high command to seek its approval for the party’s nominee for the Speaker’s election. The Speaker’s post has been lying vacant for over nine months since the incumbent Nana Patole resigned and took over as the state Congress chief.
The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi despite claiming support of 170 legislators in the state assembly does not want to take any risk of split in votes and therefore pressed for election through voice vote.
However, leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) questioned why the government is insecure and scared of its own legislators.
The Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Minority Affair Minister Nawab Malik dared the opposition to move a no confidence motion against the MVA government. Both said it will be defeated on the floor of the house.
