Maharashtra’s new Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will seek a vote of confidence for the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress front “Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi” Government on the first day of a special two-day State Assembly session beginning here on Saturday.
Ahead of the floor test of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, senior NCP leader Dilip Walse Patil was appointed as the Pro-Tem Speaker to preside over the proceedings in the State Assembly.
Walse-Patil replaced the earlier Pro-Tem Speaker Kalidas Kolumbkar from the BJP, who had earlier sworn in the 285 newly elected MLAs as the members of the House on Wednesday.
Given that the ruling MVA has a strength of 160-odd members on paper, the prospect of Uddhav winning the confidence vote in the State Assembly has become a formality now.
On its part, the MVA has claimed that it has more than 170 MLAs, as against the simple majority of 145 MLAs in the 288-member State Assembly. “Earlier, we had a combined strength of 162 MLAs. Now our strength has crossed the 170 figure with more independent and small party MLAs announcing their support for the MVA,” senior Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar said.
The only agenda on the first day of the special session, which is expected to begin at 2 pm on Saturday, is the confidence vote to be sought by Uddhav Thackeray, who was sworn into office along with six Cabinet ministers at the historic Shivaji Park ground in north-central Mumbai on Thursday evening.
The Pro Tem Speaker will hold the election of the Speaker of the Assembly on Sunday, the day two of the special session.
Since the Speaker’s post has gone to the Congress in the power-sharing deal finalised among the constituents of the MVA, the Sonia Gandhi-led party will field its candidate for the Speaker’s poll.
The much-discussed choice as a nominee for the Speaker’s election from the MVA’s side is senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan. Another leader whose name is being discussed is former chief minister Ashok Chavan. All the same, one is not certain if the Congress names any other candidate for the Speaker’s election.
The BJP, which has a strength of 105 MLAs in the 288 members in the State Assembly, will in all likelihood contest Speaker’s election scheduled for Sunday.
The deadline for filing nominations for the Speaker’s elections is 12 noon on Saturday.
After the Speaker’s election, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari will address a joint gathering of the members of the State Assembly and the Council on Sunday afternoon.
As has already been indicated by the MVA leaders, Uddhav will in all expand his Cabinet early next week.
There will in all be 15 ministers from the Shiv Sena ( including the Chief Minister), while the NCP will get 15 ministries and the Congress will be given 12 Ministries.
While things are still under wraps as to the distribution of portfolios among the MVA constituents, the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress have been discussing among themselves the nominees for the ministerial berths.
The Deputy Chief Minister’s post, which has been given to the NCP under the power-sharing formula arrived at among the MVA constituents, continues to be a subject of discussion in the State political circles.
Amid fresh speculation that the DCM’s post may go to the Congress, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar – who had created a major stir in the state political circles by throwing his lot with the BJP to form a government on Saturday last but resigned from his post as the deputy chief minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government and returned to the party three days later – said on Friday that the deputy chief minister’s post would remain with his party.
The NCP did not swear in anyone as deputy chief minister on Thursday, as there was no consensus within the Sharad Pawar-led party on whether Ajit Pawar be assigned the DCM’s post, especially after the controversy over his extending his support to the BJP and becoming a deputy chief minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government which collapsed after the NCP leader resigned from the post and returned to the parent on Tuesday.
“There is still no consensus in the NCP on the nomination of Ajit Pawar for the DCM’s post. Our party president Sharad Pawar is still mulling over the issue,” a senior NCP leader said.
