Notices issued to 8 NCP MLCs of seeking replies on disqualification pleas

In the midst of an escalating factional dispute within the Nationalist Congress Party NCP notices have been issued to eight Members of the Legislative Council MLCs belonging to rival factionsNeelam Gorhe the Deputy Chairperson of the Maharashtra Legislative Council issued the notices on December 7 directing the MLCs to provide responses to pleas seeking their disqualificationThe notices specifically named Satish Chavan Aniket Tatkare Vikram Kale Amol Mitkari Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar from the Ajit Pawarled camp and Eknath Khadse Shashikant Shinde and Arun Lad from the Sharad Pawar factionThe notices were issued under the Maharashtra Legislative Council Disqualification on ground of Defection Rules 1986 The MLCs have been given seven days from the receipt of the notices to submit documents in their defense to the Deputy ChairpersonAccording to the rules failure to submit written responses along with supporting documents within the stipulated seven days will be construed as an absence of a defense leading to decisions being made accordingly as per the noticesThe factional dispute within the NCP escalated when Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs joined the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party BJP government on July 2 This move resulted in a significant split within the NCP a party founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999The petitions seeking disqualification were filed by the Sharad Pawar camp against five MLCs who defected to the Ajit Pawar faction Simultaneously the rival group sought disqualification of three council members aligned with the party founders sideAlso read Nawab Malik a senior colleague havent spoken to him about his political stand Praful PatelThe notices come as part of the ongoing legal and procedural actions surrounding the factional turmoil within the NCP with implications for the political landscape in Maharashtra The responses from the MLCs will play a crucial role in determining the course of action and potential disqualification outcomes in this politically charged scenarioMeanwhile Leader of opposition in Maharashtra legislative council Ambadas Danve on Friday said he has written to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urging him to reveal the names of people who had links with late gangster and drug smuggler Iqbal Mirchi whose properties have been seized in MumbaiHe was responding to a query related to NCP leader Nawab Malik who was seen on a treasury bench seat on ThursdayMaliks presence in the treasury benches did not go down well with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who shot off a letter to Ajit Pawar conveying his reservation about including the former minister an accused in an ED case in the ruling Maha Yuti allianceHe is the same Nawab Malik against whom the CM and deputy CM had levelled allegations of treason I have demanded that the government reveal whether Malik is a traitor or not when he sits next to you all Danve saidThe Shiv Sena UBT leader also said that he has written to Fadnavis who is also the home minister requesting him to reveal the names of the people who had ties with Mirchi whose properties have been seized in Mumbai and action taken against those dalals agents With inputs from agencies