Former Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray, expressed strong disapproval of the Assembly Speaker's decision to declare Eknath Shinde's Sena as the authentic Shiv Sena in 2022 during factional disputes. Thackeray deemed the verdict a "murder of democracy" and an affront to the Supreme Court. The former chief minister, who resigned in 2022 amid a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde with BJP support, asserted that the decision insulted democratic principles.
In a significant development, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar ruled in favour of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, declaring that his faction of Shiv Sena was the "real political party" during the emergence of rival groups in June 2022. During the 105-minute announcement of the decision, Narwekar also dismissed Uddhav Thackeray's faction's plea to disqualify 16 Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde.
NCP leader Sharad Pawar stated that Uddhav Thackeray would need to approach the apex court against the Speaker's ruling, emphasising the precedence given to the legislature party.
Speaker Narwekar asserted that the provision of the 10th schedule of the Constitution cannot be used by party leadership for dissent or indiscipline within the party. He rejected all disqualification petitions, stating that no MLA is being disqualified.
Narwekar further clarified that the Shiv Sena chief does not have the authority to remove any leader from the party, refuting the argument that the will of the party chief and the party were synonymous. He upheld the 1999 party constitution, submitted to the Election Commission, as the valid constitution.
Responding to the decision, Sanjay Raut alleged a BJP conspiracy and emphasised that Shiv Sena would challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court.
The factional dispute emerged in June 2022, with Shinde's group having a substantial majority of 37 out of 54 MLAs. Following the rebellion, Shinde became the Chief Minister with BJP support, and subsequently, the government saw the inclusion of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party.
The Supreme Court, in May 2021, ruled in favour of Shinde continuing as Chief Minister but did not reinstate the earlier Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition government led by Uddhav Thackeray. The Election Commission had allocated the name 'Shiv Sena' and the 'bow and arrow' symbol to Shinde's faction, while Thackeray's group was named Shiv Sena (UBT) with a flaming torch symbol.
With assembly polls in Maharashtra slated for the second half of 2024, the Speaker's decision adds a new dimension to the political landscape in the state.
Also read | Sena vs Sena: Maharashtra Speaker backs Shinde faction in a big jolt to Thackeray | Timeline
