Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar Rules Eknath Shinde Faction as Authentic Shiv Sena in Assembly, Dismisses Disqualification Petitions Against CM and Rebel MLAs.
MAHARASHTRA: In a significant development in Maharashtra politics, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar delivered a crucial verdict on the cross-petitions filed by the two factions of Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde, respectively. The Speaker ruled that the Shinde faction is the original Shiv Sena, and Thackeray does not have the right to remove him. This decision marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing tussle within the party.
Dr. Ramdas Athawale, President of the Republican Party of India (Athawale) and Union Minister of State, commented on the verdict, stating,
“This is a huge jolt to Uddhav Thackeray. Eknath Shinde will remain the CM, and his faction is the real Shiv Sena political party. This decision is as per the constitution, it will benefit us in Lok Sabha polls.”
Speaker Narwekar, in his ruling, noted,
“Sunil Prabhu had no authority to call for a meeting. So their submission that the respondents did not come for the meeting will have to be rejected.”
He further added,
“The submission of Mr. Kamat, the jurisdiction under the Tenth Schedule only mandates a prima facie adjudication as to what the leadership structure of the political party was at the relevant time, and it does not extend to an enquiry as to whether or not the leadership structure available on the record of the ECI was pursuant to a validly held election is a correct position, and hence I concur with the same.”
The Speaker also observed that a split had emerged in both the legislature and the political party. He stated,
“When there is a vertical split, leaders from both sides can claim theirs to be the original party.”
He pointed out that the Uddhav Thackeray-led UBT faction did not submit any material to prove that the national executive meeting was held to decide which faction was the real party.
Furthermore, Narwekar held that the 2018 leadership structure was not in conformity with the constitution of the Shiv Sena. He declared,
“The 2018 leadership structure was not in conformity with the constitution of the Shiv Sena (of 1999 which is relied upon). This leadership structure cannot be taken as the yardstick to determine which faction is a real Shiv Sena political party.”
Consequently, he upheld the Shiv Sena constitution of 1999, as presented by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, as valid and rejected the plea filed by the Uddhav faction to hold the 2018 constitution as valid.
This ruling by the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker has significant implications for the internal dynamics of the Shiv Sena and the political landscape of Maharashtra, especially in the context of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
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