Uncertainty looms large over the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker’s election. Governor BS Koshyari, through his secretary, on Tuesday, sent a letter rejecting the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s request for holding elections on March 16 during the ongoing budget session.
‘‘The Governor's secretary, in a letter to the legislative affairs secretary, has said he cannot approve the date as the matter is sub judice,’’ said a senior MVA minister who, along with his other colleagues, had met the Governor to seek his approval for the Speaker's election.
Last week, the state cabinet had recommended March 16 as the scheduled date for the Speaker's election and accordingly sent a file to Raj Bhavan for Governor's approval.
The Speaker’s post, which is held by the Congress, has been lying vacant since last year after the incumbent Nana Patole resigned and took over as the state Congress chief.
''Please refer to the above mentioned references. In this regard, I am directed to inform you that since the matter is sub judice, the date for election of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly cannot be fixed. Accordingly, the file is returned herewith,'' said Santosh Kumar, secretary to the Governor, in a letter dated March 15, addressed to Satish Waghole, secretary, legislative affairs.
The Governor’s move came on the heels of BJP legislator Girish Mahajan filing a petition in the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order which dismissed the challenge to the rules for election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
The petition was mentioned on Tuesday in the apex court which ruled that the matter will be listed soon.
This is the second time the Governor has turned down the MVA government’s request amid the widening rift between the two. Earlier, last year, Koshyari had said that holding the Speaker’s election through voice vote, instead of secret ballot as per the amendments in the rules, was in violation of the constitution.
The Governor had also objected to the language used by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in a letter seeking his approval. Koshyari, in his reply, which is in the possession of the Free Press Journal, said ‘‘I am personally pained and dismayed to see the intemperate tone and threatening tenor of your letter which has belittled and denigrated the highest Constitutional Office of the Governor.’’
Thereafter, the MVA government backtracked on holding the Speaker’s election on December 28, which was the last day of the winter session.
The Governor’s move latest missive has come days after he was criticised by the MVA partners over his comment that Samarth Ramdas was Chhatrapati Shivaji’s guru. Besides, the MVA partners had targeted Koshyari for allegedly mocking 19th century social reformers Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule for ‘‘getting married at a young age.’’
Meanwhile, Patole has lashed out at Koshyari alleging that he was not ‘’Rajyapal’’ (Governor) but Bhajapal (of the BJP).
Patole said that the Congress party has finalized the candidate for the Speaker’s post. ‘’Once the election process is announced, the Congress will declare the candidate’s name,’’ he added.
