Mumbai: BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar has officially announced his candidacy for the Speaker’s position in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. On Sunday, he submitted his nomination papers with the support of several key leaders, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and both Deputy Chief Ministers, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. The election for the Speaker will take place tomorrow, December 9.
Rahul Narwekar previously served as the Speaker during the last term under the Mahayuti government. He took his oath as the MLA from the Colaba constituency on Saturday. In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), Narwekar expressed his gratitude, stating that he feels proud to be elected and is committed to earning the trust of the people.
Also on Saturday, Senior BJP MLA Kalidas Sulochana Kolambkar was acting as the pro-tem Speaker. A total of 173 newly elected MLAs took their oaths that day, while 115 opposition MLAs are yet to do so. Under the Shiv Sena (UBT), leader Aaditya Thackeray announced that their winning MLAs would refuse to take their oaths, citing concerns over the legitimacy of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar responded to Thackeray by stating that if there are doubts about the EVMs, the opposition should take their concerns to the Election Commission or the courts. There’s no use in bringing it up here, he said.
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