Maharashtra politics Maharashtra: Ahead of crucial no-trust vote, Assembly speaker election today
Mumbai/IBNS: Maharashtra Assembly will elect its new speaker on Sunday ahead of the floor test on Monday when the new government will have to prove its majority in the house.
The stage is all set for a face-off between Shiv Sena MLA Rajan Salvi and BJP legislator Rahul Narvekar for the post of speaker.
The two Shiv Sena factions, one headed by Uddhav Thackeray and the other led by Eknath Shinde, have issued whips asking the MLAs to vote for their respective Speaker candidates.
The post of Assembly Speaker has been lying vacant since Nana Patole of Congress resigned in February 2021 to become his party's state unit president.
Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal had been officiating as the acting Speaker.
On Thursday evening, Eknath Shinde took oath as the chief minister in a new twist as BJP's Devendra Fadnavis was expected to take on the reigns again. He instead took oath as the Deputy CM at the request of BJP supremo JP Nadda.
.Uddhav Thackeray on Friday removed Shinde as a leader of Shiv Sena.
Shinde's rebellion had led to the uninstallation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government with Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray stepping down as the Chief Minister Wednesday night.
