Shiv Sena thanks PM Modi, Amit Shah for Uddhav’s election
Says Maha BJP made attempts to delay Council polls
In an interesting move, the Shiv Sena, while criticising the state BJP, has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah for ensuring political stability in Maharashtra. The party claimed that the state leadership of BJP made every attempt to block Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s election to the Legislature Council, but the top BJP leaders did not allow it happen.
“Mr Modi and Amit Shah did not allow instability in the state. Not allowing the CM to get elected is good as political strategy. But to think of such politics when the state is fighting coronavirus is not good. Mr Modi and Mr Shah had to inject vaccine to tackle this virus and the governor had to recommend holding of Council elections,” said Shiv Sena in an editorial in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana.’
“Despite attempts to create hurdles in the functioning of the State Government in the last six months, Uddhav Thackeray has been elected unopposed to the Legislative Council,” the editorial said.
Biennial elections to nine seats of Legislative Council in Maharashtra were earlier postponed due to coronavirus pandemic. But, after Mr Thackeray spoke to Mr Modi over phone, the governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari requested the Election Commission to announce the polls. The governor earlier had taken no decision on the State Cabinet’s recommendation to nominate Mr Thackeray to the Council through the governor’s quota, raising a question mark over the fate of the CM and his coalition government.
Since Mr Thackeray was not a member of either house of the State Legislature, he needed to get elected to the State Legislature before May 27. Article 164(4)of the Constitution states that a minister, who for any period of six consecutive months is not a member of the Legislature shall at the expiration of that period cease to be a minister. In case of the CM, the six-month period ends on May 28 as he was sworn as chief minister on November 28 last year.
“Some people thought Thackeray will have to resign, there would be President’s rule and they could return by having an early morning swearingin,” Sena said. The comment was aimed at the leader of opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as CM for a second time with NCP’s Ajit Pawar as his deputy at an early morning ceremony after the assembly election results last year. But he later resigned due to lack of numbers.