Maharashtra Speaker to deliver verdict on Sena split today

Maharashtra Speaker to deliver verdict on Sena split today

The deadline set by the SC for delivering the verdict was December 31, 2023; but on December 15, the apex court gave a 10-day extension and set January 10 as the new date for a decision

Team Herald

PANJIM: Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Tuesday said that he will deliver his verdict on Wednesday evening, on the disqualification petitions against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and several MLAs whose rebellion had split the Shiv Sena in June 2022.

Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a programme at Porvorim, Narwekar said, “Hearing on the disqualification petitions have been completed and I will deliver my verdict tomorrow (Wednesday) evening.”

Narwekar was in Goa to attend the Goa Legislators Day programme on Tuesday.

In June 2022, in all 16 MLAs from the united Shiv Sena travelled to Surat and from there to Guwahati and then Goa leading to a split in the Shiv Sena and collapse of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray and supported by Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.

Petitions and cross petitions were filed by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde seeking disqualification of MLAs from each other’s party. The deadline set by the Supreme Court for delivering the verdict was December 31, 2023, but some days before that, on December 15, the apex court gave a 10-day extension and set January 10 as the new date for a decision.

Functionaries from both factions said they would approach the Supreme Court in case of an unfavourable verdict from the Speaker. After the rebellion in June 2022, Shinde went on to become CM with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In July last year, the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party joined his government. 

The Election Commission gave the ‘Shiv Sena’ name and ‘bow and arrow’ symbol to the Shinde-led faction, while the one headed by Thackeray was to be called Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray with its symbol being a flaming torch.