Maharashtra assembly will elect its speaker, followed by a motion of thanks on the Governor's address.
The Maharashtra assembly will vote at 11 am today to elect its Speaker a day after Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government sailed through the floor test amid protests led by the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis. The BJP has nominated Kisan S Kathore as its candidate for today's election against the Congress's Nana Patolem, the nominee of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance.
Congress's Nana Patole, who was earlier with the BJP, said on Saturday that he expected to get elected unopposed. "They (the BJP) have the right in democracy (to field a candidate). But it has been a tradition in Maharashtra that Speaker is elected unopposed. We hope that tradition continues," the 56-year-old leader, who represents the Sakoli constituency in Vidarbha, told reporters.
Mr Patole had won the 2014 Lok Sabha election on BJP's ticket after quitting the Congress. Later, he had quit the party amid differences with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in December 2017, and returned to the Congress.
The BJP has fielded Kisan S Kathore, party MLA from Murbad in Thane district, against Mr Patole. Mr Kathore was elected MLA for the first time in 2004 on NCP ticket from Ambernath in Thane district. He won the 2009, 2014 and 2019 state elections from Murbad. Later, he switched parties and contested the 2014 and 2019 elections on BJP's ticket.
The Leader of Opposition will be elected today after the Speaker's election which will be followed by a motion of thanks on the Governor's address in the House.
On Saturday, Mr Fadnavis had staged a walkout from the assembly ahead of the floor test against the selection of NCP's Dilip Walse Patil by the coalition government. Mr Patil had replaced BJP's temporary speaker Kalidas Kolambka.
The BJP had said it may approach the Supreme Court against the change of the temporary Speaker. "Such a replacement happened for the first time in the history of India as the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance was scared of losing the floor test," Mr Fadnavis, who resigned as the Maharashtra chief minister earlier this week, said in the House.
"Business is being transacted in the House in violation of the Constitution. The session itself is not in line with the rules," Mr Fadnavis told reporters after the walkout.
Dismissing rival BJP's claims, NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said Walse Patil was appointed pro-tem Speaker with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's consent. The special session to conduct Saturday's floor test was called after the Governor's approval, he added.
(With inputs from PTI)