Maharashtra CM Shinde-led Sena moves HC against Speaker decision to not disqualify Uddhav Thackeray faction MLAs

Eknath Shinde. File Pic

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has moved the Bombay High Court challenging the decision taken by the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker to not disqualify 14 MLAs belonging to the rival faction headed by former CM Uddhav Thackeray, reported the PTI.

Petitions filed on January 12 by Bharat Gogavale, the chief whip of the ruling Shiv Sena against the 14 MLAs, said they were challenging the "legality, propriety and correctness" of the January 10 order passed by Speaker Rahul Narwekar dismissing the disqualification petitions submitted by him against the rival camp Assembly members.

In the petitions, Bharat Gogavale maintained the Thackeray group MLAs not only violated the whip but also voluntarily gave up the membership of the Shiv Sena political party by their acts and omissions following a split in June 2022, as per the PTI.

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The pleas claimed the Speaker had failed to consider that along with giving up the membership, the (Sena-UBT) members also voted against the Shiv Sena-led government in cahoots with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), thereby seeking to topple the ruling dispensation.

As per the HC's website, Gogavale's petitions would be taken up for hearing on January 22.

The Speaker had also rejected the Thackeray faction's plea to disqualify 16 MLAs of the ruling camp, including CM Shinde.

While Gogavale moved the HC on January 12, the Uddhav Thackeray faction on Monday filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Speaker's order declaring the Shiv Sena group led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the "real political party" after its split in June 2022.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar while referring to the recent disqualification pleas verdict said that a party can't have 2 whips and the Uddhav Thackeray camp MLAs have to follow whip issued by Bharat Gogavale, reported the PTI on Friday.

Rahul Narwekar said that there is only one Shiv Sena legislative party in the state legislature and its MLAs will have to adhere to the whip issued by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led camp's whip Bharat Gogavale, recognised by him.

Speaking to a news channel, Rahul Narwekar said he has diligently followed the Supreme Court's guidelines while giving his judgment on the cross-petitions by Sena factions seeking disqualification of each other's MLAs following a split in the party in 2022, and his decision is tenable, according to the PTI.

(with PTI inputs)