Narwekar to decide whether Pawar’s MLAs will have to follow Ajit’s whip

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker has recognized the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP, but the issue of the whip will be decided separately. The Sharad Pawar faction plans to challenge the order in the Supreme Court. The opposition is criticizing the judgment and calling it "ridiculous" and a "joke of democracy." The speaker claims his order is based on constitutional provisions and Supreme Court directives.

MUMBAI: Even though Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, in his order in the NCP MLAs’ disqualification case, has recognised the Ajit Pawar faction as the real NCP, the issue of the whip will be decided separately as it was not part of the petition. The Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, meanwhile, has indicated that it will challenge the order in the Supreme Court.

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An official from the speaker’s office pointed out that the whip issue in the Shiv Sena and NCP cases was very different. “In the Shiv Sena case, both factions issued the whip to each other,” he said. “But in the NCP matter, this was not the case. Since the issue of the whip was not up for consideration before the Speaker, there was nothing on it in his order. However, the issue will have to be addressed for the smooth functioning of the legislature. As there is no voting for the Rajya Sabha elections, it will not be decided immediately. But the speaker is likely to decide within a week.”

NCP MLA and Ajit faction whip Anil Patil has claimed that after the recognition of Ajit’s party as the “real” NCP, he will be the whip for all NCP MLAs, including those from the Sharad Pawar faction. When asked about this, the official said that the matter was under consideration and would be decided based on two factors. “Normally, a whip is appointed on the basis of the party name and election symbol,” he said. “All the MLAs who won on the same party name and symbol are considered one group and a whip is appointed for all of them. But the Election Commission Of India (ECI) has given a different name and party symbol to the Sharad Pawar faction. The speaker will have to consider both points.”

Meanwhile, the opposition is up in arms. Clyde Crasto, national spokesperson of the Pawar faction, said the party would follow all the procedures to challenge Rahul Narwekar’s judgment. NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad called the judgement “ridiculous”. “If the Speaker thinks it was an intra-party dispute and not a defection issue, why did he take so much time to decide on our petitions?” he questioned.

Awhad pointed out the contradictions in the two orders. “The ECI says that the leadership dispute in the NCP began in 2019,” he said. The speaker, in his order, says that till June 29, 2023, there was no dispute and Sharad Pawar was the leader. So who is correct?”

Awhad added that the speaker’s order said that the leadership dispute emerged on June 30 over the post of national president. “The Ajit faction, in its documents submitted to the speaker, said that Ajit was elected national president on June 30, 2023, and later, under his leadership, the NCP MLAs decided to join the government,” he said. “On July 2, he took oath as the deputy chief minister in the Shinde-Fadnavis government. On July 3, when he was asked by the media, ‘Who is the national president of your party?’ he said, ‘Are you stupid? It’s Sharad Pawar.’ Despite all this, Narwekar is playing the role of the blind king Dhritarashtra.” Awhad added that Maharashtra politics had become “shameless” and that if one went by the speaker’s order, the 10th schedule would have to be scrapped.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray said that the speaker needed to try stand-up comedy. “He seems to be great at making a big joke of democracy and the constitutional values we uphold,” he said. The Congress’ chief spokesperson Atul Londhe alleged that Narwekar had given a pre-decided judgment and played with the words “dissent” and “defection”. “The BJP has seized all democratic institutions and the judgement by the speaker is a prime example,” he said.

Narwekar, on his part, claimed that his order would strengthen democracy and discussion on the 10th schedule. “I have given orders on the basis of constitutional provisions, Supreme Court directives and the provisions of the 10th schedule,” he said. “I have cited all the rulings regarding that in my order. MP Sanjay Raut, MLA Aaditya Thackeray and MLA Jitendra Awhad are constitutional experts. What can I say about them? I will not comment on those who don’t understand the difference between dissent and defection.”

Shinde Sena spokesperson Naresh Mhaske said that the speaker had respected the majority in his decision. “Sharad Pawar has broken many parties and families,” he said. “In 2019, the mandate was for the BJP-Shiv Sena government but, using his connection with Sanjay Raut, he roped in Uddhav Thackeray and formed an illegal government. He has reaped what he sowed.”