The first Bharatiya Janata Party-led minority government in Maharashtra began its innings in the Assembly on a stormy note on Wednesday, winning the trust motion through a controversial voice vote and having its way in the election of the Speaker.
Minutes after the newly elected Speaker Haribhau Bagde declared that the trust motion had been passed through a voice vote, Shiv Sena and Congress members accused him of having violated the rules by not commending the motion to vote.
Later in the day, they continued their protest during the address of Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao at the joint session of the Assembly and the Council. They said continuance of the Devendra Fadnavis government was “unconstitutional” as it had not obtained the trust of the House. Earlier, amid din, the Speaker announced, “The motion has been passed.” When Sena and Congress members protested, Mr. Bagde said that it was too late.
The Sena said the Speaker jumped to the trust vote by skipping recognition of the Leader of the Opposition.
The Speaker told presspersons that when the agenda was made, he was not in office and he took the call to put the trust motion to vote first as it made no sense to talk of a Leader of the Opposition without a government.
Shiv Sena still hoping for a deal
It is still not clear whether the Sena wants to completely sever its ties with the BJP.
To completely break free, the Sena would be required not only to withdraw its representative in the Narendra Modi government Anant Geete but also end its alliance with the BJP without whose support it would lose majority in the cash rich Mumbai municipal corporation and other municipalities it governs.
On Tuesday after writing to the Assembly Speaker that it wants its leader in the House to be recognised as the Leader of the Opposition, the Sena insisted that its talks with the BJP would continue. The party clarified that it has staked claim for the post of the Leader of the Opposition only to ensure that the Congress does not bag it.
Since the declaration of the election results on October 19, both the Sena and the BJP have repeatedly declared their intent to ally in government formation. However, the BJP has made it abundantly clear that it required the Sena to come on board without any conditions. The tug of war between the two parties is essentially over the number of ministerial berths at the Centre as well as the State. The Sena upped the ante against the BJP after the NCP declaration that it has offered unconditional support to the Fadnavis government. It insisted that unless the BJP clearly spelt out its position on the NCP support, it would sit in the Opposition benches.
“We are not going to change our stand. If the BJP wants to take support of an anti-Hindutva party like the NCP, then they are free to do so. We will contest for the Speaker’s post,” said Sena’s group leader Eknath Shinde had said on Tuesday.
