NEW DELHI: BJP’s Colaba MLA, Rahul Narwekar, was appointed speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly unopposed for a second consecutive term on Monday.
Narwekar had filed his nomination for the position on Sunday, with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, his deputies Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, and senior BJP leaders present in support.
Rahul Narwekar Files Nomination, Likely To Return As Maharashtra Assembly Speaker | India Today
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, however, did not file any nominations for the speaker’s post.
As Speaker, Narwekar’s role is expected to be pivotal in deciding whether the opposition can secure the leader of opposition (LoP) position, as it currently holds less than 10% of the seats in the Assembly.
Narwekar first took on the Speaker’s role in July 2022, and his tenure gained attention for handling multiple petitions regarding the disqualification of Shiv Sena MLAs.
In the recently-concluded Maharashtra assembly elections, the Mahayuti coalition achieved a landslide victory, securing over 230 of the 288 seats, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance managed to win only 46 seats.
(With agency inputs)