Why is the assembly session not being called in Maharashtra? More than two-thirds of the Shiv Sena MLAs, headed by the Mahavikas Aghadi government, have turned rebel and have left the state and are sitting in Assam’s Guwahati. Clearly the government has come in a minority. Despite this, no one is in a hurry to call the assembly session and ask the government to prove its majority. Rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena have complained to the Governor against the Deputy Speaker. He has also sent a letter signed by Shiv Sena MLAs to the Governor. It is only that Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari is infected with Corona and is in the hospital. But they can call a session from there and ask Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority. But they are not doing so.
Keep in mind that there is a need to convene a session to hold the election of a new speaker by removing the deputy speaker. When the assembly is in session, only then the notice of removal of the deputy speaker can be given and after that his response will have to be waited for 14 days. Only then can they be removed. The rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena and BJP are also apprehensive that the Deputy Speaker will end the membership of the rebel MLAs. To stop this, they have to make their own speaker. But for that first session will have to be called.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker has initiated disqualification proceedings against the 16 MLAs on the request of Shiv Sena. He has asked the MLAs to reply by Monday. If they are not satisfied, they can also ask all the MLAs to appear before them or directly cancel their membership. After that the MLAs will have a way to go to the Supreme Court. But if the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs and BJP are confident that the government has come down to a minority, then the easiest way is to convene a session and prove the government in the minority by electing your speaker. But the trouble is that the Governor had recently stopped the Speaker’s election saying that the matter is pending in the court. Then how can they do a U-turn now? Overall, the case seems to be embroiled in a legal tussle. Shiv Sena is getting time from this.
