Shiv Sena misses out on dy chairman’s post in LC

SENA LEADER ANIL PARAB SAID THE ELECTION WAS AVOIDED BECAUSE NOT ALL CONGRESS MEMBERS WERE PRESENT IN THE HOUSE AT THAT TIME

MUMBAI: Lack of numbers and consensus between the two principal opposition parties kept the Shiv Sena away from the post of deputy chairman in the upper house of the state legislature. With an equal number of lawmakers on both sides — the opposition and treasury benches — the ruling party may try to back their candidate with the help of Independents in the budget session in February.

Earlier this week, the ruling party had staked a claim for the vacant post and had decided to nominate Sena legislator Neelam Gorhe during the winter session, which ended on Friday.

Legislative Council chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was expected to announce the elections either on Friday or a day before — as was done in the lower house. Nimbalkar, however, indefinitely adjourned the House proceedings on the last day of the winter session, dashing the hopes of Sena to grab the constitutional post.

“The Congress-ncp alliance has not decided [a candidate]. The post was held by the Congress so whenever it is announced, it should go to Congress,” said Bhai Jagtap, senior Congress MLC.

The post was held by Congress’s Manikrao Thakre, who retired from the upper house three months ago.

Sena group leader in the upper house Anil Parab said the election was avoided because not all the Congress members were present in the House. “The Congress did not have the numbers and could have lost the post... Had the elections been held on Friday, we would have won,” Parab said. The BJP and Sena have 22 and 12 members respectively while the NCP and Congress have 17 each in the 78-member upper house. The vote on Friday would have gone down to the wire and the six Independents would have played a key role.