Eknath Shinde to remain, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, says Speaker Rahul Narvekar

Maharashtra CM: The Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly said that the structure of the organization in  2018 has to be validated. After that, there were no organizational elections in Shiv Sena, which were required according to the Constitution.

In the battle of Sena vs Sena, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar has given a big blow to the Uddhav Thackeray faction. In his judgment, Narvekar said that the Eknath Shinde faction is the real Shiv Sena. Shinde will continue as the Chief Minister. Narvekar has dismissed Uddhav Thackeray’s disqualification petition. He also agreed with the Election Commission’s decision and accepted it as correct. Narvekar said that as per the Shiv Sena’s 1999 constitution, Uddhav Thackeray has no power to remove Eknath Shinde as legislature party leader.

The speaker also agreed with the Election Commission’s decision on this. The speaker said that the whole issue is who is the real Shiv Sena? Both the Uddhav Thackeray faction and the Eknath Shinde faction claim to it and abide by the amended constitution of the party. But this constitutional amendment is not on the record of the Election Commission.

Rahul Narvekar, the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker

while ruling on the disqualification petition of  16  MLAs of Eknath Shinde’s party, said that the Election Commission has the  1999 constitution and the decision has been taken based on it. According to this, the Eknath Shinde faction is the real Shiv Sena. He said that the Election Commission itself has considered the Shinde faction as the real officer of Shiv Sena based on the number of MLAs and the Constitution. He said that I have taken note of the decision of the Commission in my decision.

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar, while giving his verdict on the disqualification of MLAs, said that the party of the Eknath Shinde faction is the real Shiv Sena. While pronouncing the verdict in the Assembly, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar said that this decision has been taken after considering all the points in the guidelines of the Supreme Court. The decision has come in 1215  pages. Rahul Narvekar read out selected excerpts of the judgment. He told the things on the basis of which this decision has been taken.

Rahul Narvekar, the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, in his judgment, highlighted all the developments systematically. He cited several judgments of the Supreme Court and the Election Commission. He described the Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena party. “The most important thing is who is the real Shiv Sena. He said the Election Commission had termed the Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena’s 1999 constitution is valid.

He said that the structure of the organization in  2018 has to be validated. He said that after that there were no organizational elections in Shiv Sena, which were required according to the Constitution.

The Speaker said that both factions cited different constitutions of the party, but the date on the party constitution given by the Uddhav Thackeray faction was not valid, so it was not validated.  The affidavit filed by the Thackeray faction is invalid. Because, on January 23, 2018, there was no election in Shiv Sena. Therefore, the amendment made in the Constitution is wrong.

The Uddhav faction has already approached the Supreme Court over the Maharashtra Speaker’s meeting with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde before today’s decision. The party alleged that the decision was already decided and they knew that the decision would be taken against them. “The first thing we saw is that the Speaker met the chief minister before the decision. Then an attempt was made to give the impression that the one who had to deliver justice would go to the accused. This has never happened in history. Does a judge ever meet the accused before a verdict?”

Before pronouncing the verdict, Speaker Rahul Narvekar had said that the disqualification hearing had been completed. They will make decisions according to the rules and justice will be done to everyone in their decision.

Let us tell you that in June 2022, Eknath Shinde overthrew the Maharashtra government along with some Shiv Sena MLAs. Eknath Shinde became the new Chief Minister of the state with the support of the BJP. Shinde, along with his supporters, claimed that his party is the real Shiv Sena. On this, Uddhav Thackeray approached the Supreme Court and filed a petition to disqualify the rebel MLAs.

It was only after Uddhav Thackeray’s petition that Eknath Shinde filed a petition to disqualify the MLAs of the Thackeray faction. The court put the whole matter in the court of the Speaker of the Assembly the Speaker will decide the qualification and disqualification of the MLAs. For this, the date of 31 December was first fixed.  Later it was extended to  10 January.

Uddhav Thackeray upset over the meeting

A ruckus has started over the meeting of Narvekar and Shinde before the verdict day. Uddhav Thackeray, the leader of the Uddhav faction, while holding a press conference on Matoshree, took a dig at the meeting. During this, he said that if the judge meets the accused, then what can be expected from the judge? Thackeray said Narvekar’s meeting with Shinde was like a judge’s meeting with a criminal. What kind of justice can we expect? Narvekar’s decision will now decide whether there is democracy in the country or not. After the decision, it will be clear whether the two leaders will kill democracy together or not.

Security was tightened before the verdict, Fadnavis met DGP

Before the verdict, there was a constant stir in the political corridor of the country including Maharashtra throughout the day. In Maharashtra, the Shinde faction and the Uddhav Thackeray faction were seen blaming each other. In the evening, when the verdict was announced, all the MLAs of the Shinde faction gathered at the party office.  Uddhav Thackeray knocked on the door of the court questioning the role of the Speaker during the day.

Before the speaker’s decision, Maharashtra DGP Rashmi Shukla had met the Deputy CM and Home Minister of the Maharashtra Govt. Debendra Fadnavis. Not only this but because of the sensitivity of the decision, security was already tightened outside Speaker Rahul Narvekar’s bungalow. Questions were raised on CM Eknath Shinde’s meeting with the Speaker on Sunday before the decision on the future of MLAs. Uddhav Thackeray had said that such a meeting is a violation of the rule under the  10th Schedule. The speaker should make a clean decision without coming under any pressure.

Fadnavis made a big claim about the government

State Deputy CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has made a big claim. He said that the Shiv Sena and BJP governments will remain stable. This coalition government is following the law and we hope that the Speaker will make a judicious decision. Devendra Fadnavis said that the Speaker will make appropriate and legal decisions. Our side is strong. The government formed by us (BJP and Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde) is legally strong. We hope that we will get justice from the Speaker. Our government was stable yesterday and will remain stable tomorrow.

On Uddhav’s question, the speaker said – he was CM, yet did not know anything

On the question of the Uddhav faction, Speaker Rahul Narvekar said that such questions are wrong. He had said that Uddhav Thackeray should know why CM came to meet the Speaker. Talking to the media, he said, ‘He is a former CM. They should understand the role of the speaker. Speakers meet the CM for many works. When Uddhav Thackeray was the CM, he should have known what the Speaker’s work was in the Assembly. There are many such issues, on which the CM has to go to the Speaker and he can meet. ‘

Further, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that when a person hearing a case meets the person against whom the trial is being conducted, suspicion arises.  Narvekar also reacted to Thackeray and Pawar’s statements.  He said there is no rule that a speaker cannot perform other important work while hearing a matter.

Updates ¹

Priyanka Chaturvedi lashes out at BJP: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “I am not surprised at all. We had heard ‘wohi hota hai jo manzoor-e-khuda hota hai’, but since  2014, a new tradition has started,  ‘wohi hota hai, jo manzoor-e-Narendra Modi aur Amit Shah hota hai’,  which is what we are seeing happening in Maharashtra.

At Last From aAditri Digital

The recent political turmoil in Maharashtra centered around the dispute between Uddhav Thackeray’s faction and Eknath Shinde’s faction within Shiv Sena has reached a significant conclusion with Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar’s verdict. The Speaker’s decision, backed by thorough legal reasoning and citing the Election Commission’s stance, has declared Eknath Shinde’s faction as the legitimate Shiv Sena.

Narvekar’s ruling emphasized the importance of the 1999 constitution of Shiv Sena, dismissing Uddhav Thackeray’s attempt to remove Shinde as the legislature party leader. The Speaker highlighted the absence of organizational elections in Shiv Sena since 2018, a constitutional requirement that hadn’t been fulfilled. Narvekar, meticulously and systematically, presented his decision based on the guidelines of the Supreme Court, citing numerous judgments and Election Commission decisions.

The controversy escalated to the disqualification of 16 MLAs associated with Eknath Shinde’s party, leading to a prolonged legal battle. The Speaker’s reliance on the Election Commission’s validation of Shinde’s faction as the real Shiv Sena played a crucial role in shaping the verdict. This decision, presented in a comprehensive 1215-page document, signifies a significant setback for Uddhav Thackeray and strengthens Eknath Shinde’s position as the Chief Minister.

The political drama witnessed additional tension with Uddhav Thackeray expressing concerns about a pre-decision meeting between the Speaker and Eknath Shinde, questioning the fairness of the process. However, Narvekar defended the meeting, asserting that speakers can engage in other important work while hearing a matter.

As the dust settles, the aftermath of this verdict will likely have far-reaching implications on Maharashtra’s political landscape. Uddhav Thackeray’s faction has already approached the Supreme Court, signaling a continuation of the legal battle. The Speaker’s decision is a pivotal moment, determining the future course of democracy in Maharashtra and setting the stage for potential shifts in political alliances and power dynamics. The resilience of the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition, as claimed by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and the reactions from political leaders further add layers to the unfolding political narrative in the state.

1. Updates on 11 Jan 2024 ↩︎