Editor's Pick | Eknath Shinde’s faction is real Shiv Sena: Maharashtra Assembly Speaker

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Wednesday ruled that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction is the “real Shiv Sena” when the rival factions emerged in June 2022. He also rejected disqualification petitions against 30 Shiv Sena MLAs from both factions, including Mr. Shinde, citing lack of valid grounds. Eknath Shinde and a group of MLAs had rebelled against then-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022, leading to a split in the party. The split also caused the fall of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition from power, which also included Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, apart from the Shiv Sena. After the rebellion, Mr. Shinde became the Chief Minister with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In July 2023, Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP also joined his government. Speaking on the disqualification petitions against MLAs of the Shinde faction, Mr. Narwekar said, “The Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, or UBT faction) has also submitted newspaper reports. They can’t be the grounds to expel the legislators… Not attending the meeting also does not attract disqualification. None of the Shinde faction MLAs were served the whip for June 21 meeting. Thus the contention for disqualification is rejected.” Mr. Thackeray called the verdict the “murder of democracy” and said that that his party would move the Supreme Court in the matter. “It was a match-fixing… We are challenging it in the apex court,” he said. Congress and NCP also expressed support to the UBT faction. The Speaker also said that the Constitution submitted to the ECI, not the 2018 amended version, was crucial for determining the real political party. He pointed out that the Shiv Sena had not submitted any Constitution to the Speaker of the House and thus, the 2018 amended constitution could not be considered valid. In early 2023, the Supreme Court had ruled that in mid-2022, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari “erred” in calling for a trust vote that triggered the fall of Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the State. This opened the doors for disqualification proceedings against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for defection from the Shiv Sena. The court had also suggested factors to Speaker Mr. Narwekar to consider while deciding disqualification petitions. Assembly polls in Maharashtra are due in the second half of 2024. Editorials A change for the worse: On the rapid decline in India-Maldives ties Predictably comfortable: On Sheikh Hasina’s electoral win in Bangladesh The Hindu Daily News Quiz Which country recently appointed Gabriel Attal as its Prime Minister, making him the nation’s first openly gay head of government? Iceland Serbia France Latvia To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 11 January 2024 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Eknath Shinde’s faction is real Shiv Sena: Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Wednesday [ruled that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction is the “real Shiv Sena”]( when the rival factions emerged in June 2022. He also rejected disqualification petitions against 30 Shiv Sena MLAs from both factions, including Mr. Shinde, citing lack of valid grounds. [Eknath Shinde]( and a group of MLAs had rebelled against then-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022, leading to a split in the party. The split also caused the fall of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition from power, which also included Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, apart from the Shiv Sena. After the rebellion, Mr. Shinde became the Chief Minister with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In July 2023, Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP also joined his government. Speaking on the disqualification petitions against MLAs of the Shinde faction, Mr. Narwekar said, “The Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, or UBT faction) has also submitted newspaper reports. They can’t be the grounds to expel the legislators… Not attending the meeting also does not attract disqualification. None of the Shinde faction MLAs were served the whip for June 21 meeting. Thus the contention for disqualification is rejected.”  Mr. Thackeray called the verdict the “murder of democracy” and said that that his party would move the Supreme Court in the matter. “It was a match-fixing… We are challenging it in the apex court,” he said. Congress and NCP also expressed support to the UBT faction.  The Speaker also said that the Constitution submitted to the ECI, not the 2018 amended version, was crucial for determining the real political party. He pointed out that the Shiv Sena had not submitted any Constitution to the Speaker of the House and thus, the 2018 amended constitution could not be considered valid. In early 2023, [the Supreme Court had ruled that in mid-2022]( Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari “erred” in calling for a trust vote that triggered the fall of Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the State. This opened the doors for disqualification proceedings against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for defection from the Shiv Sena. The court had also suggested factors to Speaker Mr. Narwekar to consider while deciding disqualification petitions. Assembly polls in Maharashtra are due in the second half of 2024. Editorials [Arrow][A change for the worse: On the rapid decline in India-Maldives tiesÂ]( [Arrow][Predictably comfortable: On Sheikh Hasina’s electoral win in BangladeshÂ]( The Hindu Daily News Quiz Which country recently appointed Gabriel Attal as its Prime Minister, making him the nation’s first openly gay head of government? - Iceland - Serbia - France - Latvia To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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