Maharashtra: Nana Patole elected Speaker, Fadnavis LoP

Senior Congressman and framers' leader Nana Patole was on Sunday elected unopposed as Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, while the BJP's legislature party leader and former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis was elected Leader of Opposition of the Maharashtra Assembly.

Patole, the candidate of Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi, was elected unopposed after the BJP's Kisan Kathore withdrew his nomination, following a meeting of leaders of all parties called by Protem Speaker Dilip Walse-Patil.

Patole said that the BJP has been accorded the status of the Opposition party in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and Fadnavis would be the new Leader of Opposition.

Patole (56) is a four-term MLA and an ex-MP from Bhandara-Gondiya. "I am very happy that a son of a farmer has become the Speaker," Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said.

Thackeray and other senior leaders escorted him to the Speaker's chair.

Patole, an MLA from Sakoli in the Vidarbha region, succeeds Haribhau Bagade of BJP.

Popularly known as Nana or Nanabhau, he is a firebrand leader and for 2019 Vidhan Sabha polls, he was Congress campaign committee chief. He hails from the OBC Kunbi Maratha community.
In 2017, he has resigned as BJP MP revolting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of farmers and agrarian crisis.

BJP leader and former CM Devendra Fadnavis said: "Maharashtra has a tradition to elect Assembly Speaker unanimously and not by election.

Protem Speaker Dilip Walse Patil requested for consensus and BJP agreed to this," he said.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and senior ministers and MLAs greeted Fadnavis, former Chief Minister after Patole made the formal announcement.