Uddhav Thackeray will remain CM after May 27, says Sena MP Raut

With Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari yet to give his nod to appoint chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray to the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Shiv

With Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari yet to give his nod to appoint chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray to the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has now targeted the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the delay.

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In his weekly column Rokhthok in Sena mouthpiece Saamana, Raut called Koshyari a person with “morals”, and expressed confidence that Thackeray will remain the chief minister after May 27. The CM on Sunday also said that politics should be kept aside during the ongoing war against Covid-19.

In his column, Raut said, “If the Governor decides to sign the nomination file, he can do so instantly. But for that, he would have to ask the BJP leaders in Delhi. Then, the Governor, as an institution, is not independent and impartial.” He also wrote that the opposition party in Maharashtra is egging the Governor to not sign the recommendation of the cabinet and let President’s Rule take over the state at a time when the Thackeray government is fighting a war against the coronavirus. Raut said that the Thackeray government has the support of over 170 MLAs and it will continue after May 27.

Thackeray, who is not a member of either House of the state legislature, took oath as the chief minister on November 28. The Constitution allows a non-legislator to hold the post for up to six months. For Thackeray, this period ends on May 27, before which his nomination to legislature needs to be confirmed.

This month, the state cabinet recommended that the Governor appoint Thackeray as a member of the Legislative Council (MLC) through his quota, to avoid a Constitutional crisis. The Governor has so far not taken any decision, leaving the three-party Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government on tenterhooks.

“When the war against coronavirus was on, the Madhya Pradesh (MP) government was pulled down, and a month later the cabinet expansion was done. Similarly, a one-day session of the state legislature can be convened for the MLC polls. More importantly, if the [MLC] election will be done without any opposition, the Election Commission has to merely do it as a formality,” Raut mentioned in his column.

He cited examples where governors in other states have nominated chief ministers and ministers and such nominations had stood the legality in the courts. Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP, added that Koshyari will weigh the “political good and evil”. “We have been blessed with a Governor who strictly follows the Constitution, morality, and political courtesy,” he wrote.

Thackeray on Sunday said that political leaders in the state will have to keep politics aside at this moment. “If we focus on politics at this time, then we do not need any other enemy. Elections come and go, so does power, but if lives are lost, they will not come back. Therefore, no one should play dirty politics,” he said.

The CM also thanked Union minister Nitin Gadkari for earlier saying that politics should be kept aside and “all should work closely with the Maharashtra government” during the pandemic.