BJP fields Kisan Kathore against Nana Patole as its Maharashtra Speaker candidate
MLAs Nana Patole and Kisan Kathore have been nominated for Maharashtra Assembly Speaker post by the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the BJP respectively. Patole, the former BJP MP joined the Congress ahead of the Assembly elections in the state. While Kathore was elected from Thane, Patole won from Bhandara. The election for the post of Speaker will be held tomorrow.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led government will face a floor test later in the day. According to reports, earlier sources in the Congress party claimed of its legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat might become the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
The senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Dileep Walse-Patil was appointed Protem Speaker on Friday. This has led to speculation that the party is likely to withdraw its claim on the DCM’s post and instead opt for the post of Assembly Speaker. Walse-Patil was Speaker of the assembly between 2009 and 2014.
The unrest within the NCP after the rebellion of Ajit Pawar has not yet settled down. While the majority of party MLAs want Ajit Pawar to become Chief Minister at least for a term of 2.5 years, the party leadership is reluctant to back him.
The Shiv Sena had emerged as the second largest party in the Maharashtra Assembly election with 56 seats; its then ally BJP was the largest party with 105 seats. Though they had the majority to form the government, the Sena ended the alliance over power sharing. The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress formed the government after the Thackeray-led party fell out with the BJP.
(With PTI inputs)
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