Maha guv asks EC to hold polls to 9 seats
The impending constitutional crisis in Maharashtra may be resolved if the EC accepts Koshyari and MVA’s request. It also means Koshyari is not keen to nominate Thackeray on the council as his nominee despite a recommendation from the state cabinet and a reminder that he do so.
A day after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over phone and sought his intervention to end the impasse in the state over the former’s election to state legislature, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari requested the Election Commission of India to hold elections for nine seats to the state legislative council at the earliest with a view to end the political uncertainty in the state.
His call came shortly after he three members of the state’s ruling coalition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress wrote to the EC seeking the same. Council members are elected by members of the state assembly. The impending constitutional crisis in Maharashtra may be resolved if the EC accepts Koshyari and MVA’s request. It also means Koshyari is not keen to nominate Thackeray on the council as his nominee despite a recommendation from the state cabinet and a reminder that he do so.
Thackeray was not member of the state legislature when he took oath as chief minister of November 28. As per the provisions under the Constitution, he was supposed to get elected to state legislative assembly or council within six months, that is by May 27. Thackeray planned to contest the election to the council as nine members were retiring on April 24. However the election was postponed by the EC due to the Covid-19 outbreak. On April 9, the state cabinet recommended that the governor nominate Thackeray on the legislative council as two out of 12 seats to the council that are nominated by governor were lying vacant. However Koshyari has not done this.
A person familiar with the matter in Koshyari’s office said nominees are usually achievers in art, social service, literature and other fields and the governor doesn’t want to nominate politicians. Koshyari had also indicated that he would seek Center’s opinion on the issue since state cabinet had advised him to nominate Thackeray as a special case considering the current crisis.
It was then that Thackeray chose to talk directly to Prime Minister Modi. Following communication between a close aide of Thackeray and an official from PMO, Thackeray dialled Modi on Wednesday requesting his intervention. On Thursday afternoon, two Sena leaders, party secretary Milind Narvekar--who was Thackeray’s intermediary with Koshyari--and urban development minister Eknath Shinde met the governor and handed him letters written to the EC by the three parties. Koshyari then immediately wrote to the EC requesting early election for nine seats to the council.
Thackeray’s Shiv Sena fought the election in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party but differences over power-sharing saw the two go their separate ways after the elections. The Shiv Sena partnered with the Natonalist Congress Party and the Congress to form the government.
The call is now the EC’s. The election authority is likely to seek union home ministry’s opinion before deciding on the request.
“The governor has made the request to the Election Commission to fill the 9 seats in the legislative council, that have been lying vacant from 24th April, with a view to end the current uncertainty in the State,”said a release issued by Raj Bhavan on Thursday evening.
In his letter, Koshyari stated that the elections to the council seats can be held with certain guidelines.
“Since Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray is not a member of either house of the State Legislature, he needs to get elected to the the Council before 27th May 2020,”Koshyari said in his letter.
In their letters, the three members of the coalition have assured the EC that they would follow all guidelines regarding social distancing and other precautions that are required under the current circumstances.
A Sena leader said it is likely that the election will be held unopposed once EC clears it.
“The developments have happened in less than a day after Thackeray spoke to PM Modi. If the election to council is held now, it would be clearly following the intervention by Modi. In that case, it is likely that the four parties--three ruling parties and BJP-- informally decide on fielding nine candidates between them so that the entie exercise of getting 288 members of assembly to Mumbai for voting in the middle of Covid-19 outbreak can be avoided,”he added.
“Today’s developments mean Governor Koshyari is not accepting state cabinet’s recommendation to nominate Thackeray to council. If the Election Commission holds election for council, the issue would be resolved but what if it doesn’t? Or what if it is legally challenged. The possibility of a constitutional crisis is not yet over,” said political commentator Pratap Asbe.
“At the end of the day, these are political moves. Center will play a role in this episode and the outcome would be guided by political motive,”he said.
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