'Failure of constitutional machinery': Fadnavis on vacant post of Speaker

The post fell vacant after Nana Patole handed over his resignation letter to Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal on February 4 and took over as the Congress's state unit chief.

Maharashtra's Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday that in an unprecedented turn of events, despite the Governor's recommendation, the post of Assembly speaker was vacant for over a month and this is equivalent to the failure of constitutional machinery.

Maharashtra opposition leader and former CM Devendra Fadnavis (PTI)

The post fell vacant after Nana Patole handed over his resignation letter to Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal on February 4 and took over as the Congress's state unit chief.

"Our connection will stay strong. As an MLA I will continue to work and will follow orders. Until the new Speaker is chosen, the Deputy Speaker will continue to work," Patole had said.

Watch | ‘Failure of constitutional machinery’: Fadnavis on vacant Assembly speake

In Thursday's Assembly session, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar too termed the delay in election to the seat a 'mockery of the Constitution', and demanded that the Chair announce a schedule for the Speaker's election at the earliest. "Do you want to create history and find a mention in the Guinnessbook of world records?" he asked.

Talking about 1980, when Indira Gandhi had dismissed the Sharad Pawar-led Maharashtra government on grounds that there was no constitutional machinery in place, legislator Sudhir Mungantiwar said that if the election schedule for Speaker's post is not announced immediately, there would be President's rule.

According to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, the three ruling parties -- the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress -- will collectively decide on the new speaker.