Rahul Narwekar set to be elected unopposed as Maharashtra assembly speaker

Mumbai: BJP’s Rahul Narwekar - who had presided over the disqualification cases involving Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP vs NCP (SP) - is set to become the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly once again.

Narwekar filed the nomination papers on Sunday from the ruling BJP-led MahaYuti-NDA.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi-I.N.D.I.A. did not file nomination as they don’t have numbers.

The election of Narwekar (47), a two-time MLA from Colaba in Mumbai, is now a mere formality on Monday given the majority that the Maha Yuti enjoys - 235 in the 288-member Assembly.

When Narwekar filed the papers before Maharashtra Legislature’s Secretary Jitendra Bhole.

Narwekar was accompanied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule and senior leader Chandrakant Patil.

Meanwhile, the MLA leaders have met Fadnavis and sought the Deputy Speaker's post for one of the constituent parties in the opposition alliance - as it has been the tradition. The delegation was led by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav.

The Speaker’s election will be formally announced in the Lower House on Monday.

After this, the Fadnavis-government is expected to move a trust motion.

Thereafter, Governor CP Radhakrishnan will address the joint session of Maharashtra Legislature.

Narwekar is considered close to Fadnavis.

After the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was toppled, Narwekar was elected as Speaker on 3 July, 2022.

His father, Suresh Narwekar, was a municipal councillor from Mumbai, and his brother Makarand Narwekar was a two-time Corporator from Ward No 227 while sister-in-law Harshata Narwekar was one-term Corporator from Ward No 226.

Earlier, Narwekar was a member of the undivided Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, which he left after the party denied him a ticket in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He joined the undivided Sharad Pawar-led 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.

Narwekar is a lawyer by profession and has knowledge of Constitutional issues.