12 MLCs’ list: Has Maharashtra govt replaced Raju Shetti?

His name was recommended from NCP’s quota but the party is reportedly upset with him over his stand taken against MVA government

The ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), led by Uddhav Thackeray, is said to have requested Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to replace one of the names from among the list of 12 people who were recommended for appointment as members of the legislative council (MLC).

Raju Shetti is a former parliamentarian and heads political outfit Swabhimani Paksha.

MVA has submitted a fresh list to the governor with one change. A delegation of MVA leaders headed by the chief minister (CM), along with deputy CM Ajit Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party) and state revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat (Congress), met the governor on Wednesday evening.

Speculations are doing rounds that they have requested him to remove farmer leader Raju Shetti’s name from the list. Shetti is a former parliamentarian and heads political outfit Swabhimani Paksha. His name was recommended from NCP’s quota but the party is reportedly upset with him over his stand taken against MVA government.

The name of the nominee to replace Shetti has been kept under wraps.

The appointment of 12 MLCs has become a major friction point between Koshyari and the three-party coalition government. The state cabinet had approved the names last November, but they are yet to be appointed.

On Thursday, Pawar said according to new information, a person, who was defeated in a recently held election, cannot be nominated for the Upper House, so they are verifying the same.

“Some people said no person can be nominated if they are defeated in the election held recently. One can remember that after senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitely lost the 2014 general polls, he was made a member of Rajya Sabha but not from President’s quota,” the deputy CM said.

“If there is any issue in appointing any of the 12 names recommended by the government, then the CM will take a decision,” he said.

NCP insiders said the party is upset with Shetti as he is planning to contest Lok Sabha from Hathkanangale constituency with the help of BJP in 2024.

“He had recently held a meeting in Walwa area (under Islampur Assembly constituency in Sangli district) from where state NCP president Jayant Patil is an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly). The meeting was attended by Patil’s political rivals,” said an NCP leader.

Currently, Shetti is staging an agitation against MVA government, demanding relief to the flood-hit people from Kolhapur, Satara and Sangli districts.

When asked, Shetti said MVA was not doing him any favour by nominating his name and now he does not bother about the outcome of the governor’s decision.

“No one has done a favour by nominating my name to the legislative Council. It was a part of an agreement between NCP and Swabhimani Paksha ahead of the general polls 2019. In a meeting in Delhi that was also attended by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, we have had agreed that Congress will leave one seat for Swabhimani Paksha and Hathkanangale will remain with my party, as I contest polls from there, while NCP will nominate a leader from Swabhimani Paksha to the legislative Council,” Shetti told reporters.

“I have never followed up on the appointment and now I’m not interested. The governor is free to nominate whoever he wishes to. At present, I am fighting to provide relief to the flood-affected people and will not stop until it is done,” he added.

The list submitted to the governor included the names of Vijay Karanjkar, Urmila Matondkar, Nitin Bangude-Patil and Chandrakant Raghuvanshi from the Shiv Sena; Eknath Khadse, Raju Shetti, Yashpal Bhinge and Anand Shinde from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP); and Rajni Patil, Sachin Sawant, Anniruddha Vankar and Muzaffar Hussain from the Congress.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said they expect that Koshyari will clear the nomination of the 12 members to the Council soon. Raut added that the file is with the governor for eight months, suggesting that there is pressure on him not to clear it.

He said the visuals of the meeting showed that Koshyari and the three MVA leaders were in a “cheerful” mood and that the governor should show “positive” intent through action now. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Raut said all MVA leaders said the governor is positive and very soon the 12 nominations will be cleared.

“Whether the governor will take a decision after this meeting or not will be known by his action. The governor has to merely clear the file on the decision made by the cabinet. If there is any political pressure on him then he must clearly say that he cannot do it,” said Raut.

The Sena MP added, “The governor has not cleared the file for the last eight months because there is definitely pressure on him. They [the 12 nominees] aren’t goons or criminals or trained by the Taliban. They are people who have worked in the fields of social, education, arts, etc. How can you deny them their rights only because of political pressure? But looking at yesterday’s meeting, I think, soon, there will be a positive move.”

MVA government and Raj Bhavan have been at loggerheads on several issues, including the nomination of the 12 people recommended by the state cabinet. Raut said Maharashtra does not have a “tradition of political conflict between government and Raj Bhavan”. Putting onus on the Raj Bhavan he asked why a conflict emerged on this issue.