Another feat for Shinde-BJP government as Rahul Narwekar elected Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker

Sunday was another win for the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction that formed the government with the BJP after its candidate Rahul Narwekar was elected as Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Rahul Narwekar, a first-time BJP MLA from Colaba, defeated Shiv Sena’s Rajan Salvi, who was the candidate of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi opposition alliance.

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Narwekar got 164 votes against Salvi, who secured 107 votes, during the head court ordered by Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal. Three abstained from voting.

The election was a strange coincidence as Narwekar’s father-in-law Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar is the Chairman of Maharashtra Legislative Council. Naik-Nimbalkar’s tenure ends July 8. On June 20, he was re-elected to the Council.

Zirwal welcomed Narwekar’s election to the Chair.

Thereafter, Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil, Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat and Shiv Sena’s Ajay Choudhari escorted the new Speaker to the Chair - as per the tradition.

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Narwekar (45) comes from a political family. His father, Suresh Narwekar, was a municipal councillor from Mumbai, and his brother Makarand is a second-term municipal councillor from Ward No 227. His sister-in-law, Harshata, is a councillor from Ward No 226.

Earlier, Narwekar was a member of the Shiv Sena, which he left after the party denied him a ticket in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He joined the Nationalist Congress Party and contested the general election in 2019 from Maval, which he lost. Thereafter, ahead of 2019 Vidhan Sabha polls, he joined the BJP.

A B.Com and LLB graduate, Narwekar is a lawyer by profession and has represented Shiv Sena in many cases. He is involved in many social and educational causes.

Narwekar is considered to be close to Fadnavis.