Election for Maharashtra Legislative Assembly's Speaker postponed

The elections to the Presiding Officer of the Lower House would now be taken in the state budget session

Avoiding a confrontation with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and legal tangles, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government decided to put off the election to the post of Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

The MVA was contemplating holding the elections on Tuesday, the last day of the winter session, however, they decided to put it on hold.

The elections to the Presiding Officer of the Lower House would now be taken in the budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature.

According to available information, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had a word with NCP founder-President Sharad Pawar, the chief architect of the MVA, and took a final call.

Thackeray and Pawar had also spoken to Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhkoni.

The senior MVA leaders - from Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress also met at the Vidhan Bhavan complex.

The MVA had earlier sent a letter to the Governor over the amendment in the Legislative rules of holding the Speaker's election through voice vote instead of secret ballot.

Koshyari, however, has not cleared it.