Rahul Narwekar Set to Become Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Unopposed

Mumbai: BJP leader Rahul Narwekar is set to be re-elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly after the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) decided not to contest the election. Narwekar, who previously served as Speaker in the 14th Assembly, was re-elected from the Colaba constituency in the recent state elections.

On Sunday, Narwekar filed his nomination in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and Legislature Secretary Jitendra Bhole. The formal announcement of his election will take place in the Assembly on Monday, followed by a floor test to prove the new government’s majority.

MVA leaders met with Chief Minister Fadnavis, requesting the Deputy Speaker's post and the position of Leader of the Opposition for their alliance. The MVA’s request is in line with legislative norms that allocate these roles to opposition parties.

During his earlier tenure, Narwekar delivered key rulings, including recognizing Eknath Shinde's faction as the legitimate Shiv Sena after the party's split and declaring Ajit Pawar's group as the official Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction.

In the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition achieved a landslide victory, winning over 230 of the 288 seats. The MVA managed to secure only 46 seats.

The party strength in the 15th Assembly is as follows:

• Mahayuti Coalition: BJP - 132, Shiv Sena - 57, NCP - 41, smaller parties and independents - 7.
• Opposition (MVA): Shiv Sena (UBT) - 20, Congress - 16, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) - 10, other parties - 5.

The Assembly proceedings will also include Governor CP Radhakrishnan’s address to the joint session of both Houses.