Speaker must decide on disqualification of 16 MLAs at the earliest: Uddhav

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday demanded that Maharashtra’s Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar take a decision on the disqualification of 16 MLAs at the earliest.

He made the demand a day after the Supreme Court gave its verdict on last year’s political crisis that resulted in the collapse of the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by him following a rebellion by Eknath Shinde, who later joined hands with the BJP to become the chief minister.

Thackeray’s party colleague Anil Parab said they will write to Speaker Nawerkar urging him to take a call on the matter at the earliest.

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“The gift of life to the 16 MLAs is temporary because the Supreme Court has given a ‘reasonable time’ and it has limitations. The Speaker must take his decision at the earliest,” Thackeray said.

The Supreme Court on Thursday held that it cannot restore the MVA government led by Thackeray as he resigned without facing a floor test in June last year. It has asked the Speaker to decide on the disqualification of 16 MLAs within a "reasonable period".

The court also said the decision of the Speaker to appoint Bharat Gogawale of the Shinde faction as the whip of the Shiv Sena in the Assembly was “contrary to law”.