‘Only state assembly can decide to disqualify legislators’

Mumbai: A day after Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) president Uddhav Thackeray predicted mid-term polls in Maharashtra, the state assembly speaker Rahul Narvekar said that the decision over the disqualification of legislators can be taken only by the state assembly

Mumbai: A day after Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) president Uddhav Thackeray predicted mid-term polls in Maharashtra, the state assembly speaker Rahul Narvekar said that the decision over the disqualification of legislators can be taken only by the state assembly. He also expressed hope that the Supreme Court (SC) will keep the importance of the Maharashtra assembly intact while giving its verdict in the case.

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On November 29, a five-judge Constitution bench of the SC is scheduled to hear multiple petitions filed by both factions of the original Shiv Sena, which include a plea to disqualify Shinde and the 15 MLAs who jumped ship with him.

“There is no danger for the state government till it has a majority and hence any statement about the instability of the government makes no sense. I hope that the Supreme Court will give its verdict by keeping intact the importance of the state assembly. In the end, the decision on disqualification of legislators can be taken only in the state assembly,” Narvekar told reporters at Sawantwadi in Sindhudurg on Sunday.

The apex court stayed the disqualification process of 16 rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena including Shinde that was started by the deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal in June. After the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government, speaker Rahul Narvekar on July 5 too started the disqualification process of 14 Shiv Sena MLAs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, which was also stayed by the SC.

“The central government makes big announcements only in the run-up to the polls. Until recently, many projects in Maharashtra were taken to Gujarat because of the upcoming assembly elections. Now all of a sudden, the prime minister can be seen expressing his love for Maharashtra and declaring projects worth ₹2 lakh crore. Though these projects are also imaginary, they were the reason I guessed mid-term polls in Maharashtra,” Thackeray told reporters on Sunday.