@the_news_21
Pune: Amidst mounting suspense over the election of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s nominee for the Speaker’s post in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly continues, a three-member ministerial delegation from the ruling dispensation called on Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday to apprise him of the government’s intent to hold the election on December 28 and seek his approval for the same.
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s sanction for the election process remained elusive. The three-member ministerial delegation consisted of Congressman Balasaheb Thorat, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Chhagan Bhujbal. Speaking to newspersons after meeting the Governor, they said that they hoped the Governor would agree to the election which is to be held by voice-vote.
Congress minister Balasaheb Thorat said, “We have given the invitation of the election to the Governor and requested him to approve the election program at the earliest. We have adopted the same change as in the Lok Sabha, so, we have not done anything different. He said that he (Governor) needs to take information on some technical aspects and said he would let us know tomorrow (Monday).”
He further added that there was no concrete reason as to why the Governor should disapprove of the process of electing the Speaker by voice vote.
The election to the Speaker’s post has been pending for over 10 months now since Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Nana Patole resigned from the post in February this year.
Meanwhile, the election to the Speakers post has been a flashpoint between the ruling MVA and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is insisting the election to the Speaker’s post be held by secret ballot and not voice vote.
Patole had earlier made it clear that the MVA would press on with the election program scheduled to be held on Wednesday regardless of whether the Governor gave his approval to the election process.
The MVA’s candidate for the election to the Speakers post is to be from the Congress, the names of former Maharashtra chief minister and senior Congressman Prithviraj Chavan and Pune MLA Sangram Thopate are doing the rounds.
