Patole resigns as Maha speaker
Cong leader set to be party’s state unit chief; move may lead to friction between MVA allies
MUMBAI: Nana Patole, Congress leader and legislator from Sakoli constituency in Vidarbha, on Thursday resigned as the Maharashtra Assembly speaker and is expected to be appointed the state’s Congress unit chief soon. The development, however, may lead to friction within the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition as Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said the three ruling parties — the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress — will collectively decide on the new speaker. The development also means there will be an election for the post of speaker, which will turn into sort of a floor test in the Assembly for the three-party coalition.
Patole, 56, handed over his resignation to deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal at the central hall of Vidhan Bhavan on Thursday evening. Before that, he met former party president Rahul Gandhi and other key leaders in Delhi on Wednesday. The party leadership spoke to the heads of Sena and NCP as the replacement of the speaker has to be dealt with by the ruling alliance. Congress is also expected to replace five working presidents as most of the incumbent working presidents have been accommodated in the state cabinet.
“I have resigned from the post as per instructions from the party leadership. I am not aware about any changes in the responsibilities of working presidents,” Patole said.
Patole hails from Vidarbha and has influence in the peasant Kunbi community. In several parts of the region, the community supported Congress in the 2019 Assembly elections. Patole began as a Congress leader, but then shifted to the BJP. He was elected as BJP MP in 2014 from the Bhandara-gondia constituency, but later in December 2017, quit the party after criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and returned to the Congress. He was elected to the state Assembly in 2019 and was made speaker when the MVA formed the government.
Patole’s resignation has necessitated election for the post of speaker. The three-party coalition which has clear majority in the 288-member Assembly will have to ensure that none of its MLAS vote against its candidate. If that happens, there would be questions raised over the stability of the government. Opposition BJP has been insisting that the MVA government will fall due to internal contradictions.
Observers feel that there could be bargaining within the MVA for the post in exchange for ministerial berths. Though there are reports that Congress demanded the post of deputy chief minister, Pawar vehemently rubbished them. “We have been informed about the internal changes in the responsibilities in Congress. After Patole’s resignation, the post has fallen vacant and three parties will collectively take decision over new speaker,” he said in Delhi.
“Pawar has not clearly said that his party may claim the post, but by keeping it in limbo, he wants to assert his authority in decision-making in MVA. It is obvious that there could not be an appointment of the new speaker without taking him into confidence and at that time, Pawar may have his choice on the name of the speaker, even though he/she is from the Congress. He would not want someone like Prithviraj Chavan to become next speaker,” said political analyst Hemant Desai.
The Congress leadership had begun the process of changing state leadership last month by speaking to legislators and key leaders in the state. Incumbent president Balasaheb Thorat holds three key positions, including revenue minister and party’s legislative leader. Besides Patole, Rajya Sabha MP and All India Congress Committee’s Gujarat in-charge Rajiv Satav and relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar were in the race.
A