Maharashtra: Petition to disqualify 54 Shiv Sena MLAs dismissed

Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar dismissed the petitions to disqualify 54 Shiv Sena MLAs, chief minister Eknath Shinde hailed it as the defeat of nepotism and authoritarianism.

He alleged that Uddhav Thackeray was trying to run the party as his private limited company. The Thackeray faction confirmed that it will challenge the Speaker’s decision in the Supreme Court.

Calling it a victory of democracy, Mr Shinde said that not only Shiv Sena workers but common people are also celebrating the Speaker’s verdict. “On one side, it is the victory of democracy and on the other, it is the defeat of authoritarianism, dictatorship and nepotism. Nobody can run a political party as a private limited company,” he said.

The Maharashtra chief minister said that he was always confident about the Speaker’s verdict because he had the support of the majority among the state legislators, Lok Sabha members as well as the party organisation. He added that the majority is important in a democracy.

Criticising Mr Thackeray for forming the post-poll alliance with the Congress and the NCP, Mr Shinde said, “We contested the 2019 elections in alliance with the BJP. But after winning the polls, a new alliance was formed with the Congress and the NCP, which was against the party principles set by Balasaheb Thackeray. Those who disregarded Balasaheb’s ideology received a tight slap yesterday (Wednesday). We are following Balasaheb’s ideology, which is why lakhs of party workers are supporting us,” he said.

However, Mr Shinde expressed surprise over the Speaker’s decision not to disqualify the MLAs of the Uddhav faction. Calling it an unexpected decision, Mr Shinde said he will consult his party’s legal team to decide the future course of action.

The Speaker held that Mr Thackeray and his faction’s will were not synonymous with the party’s will because the 2018 leadership structure of the party was not as per the 1999 constitution, which is on the records of the Election Commission.

The Thackeray faction has argued that the Shiv Sena constitution was amended in 2018, by which all powers were given to the party president. However, the EC has denied that the 2018 amendments were brought to its notice and also rejected the amendments, terming them “undemocratic”.

“The party affairs were conducted as per the party’s constitution till Balasaheb was alive. But after his death, the party's affairs were conducted as per the whims and fancies of a few. There was internal jealousy and insecurity in the party’s leadership,” Mr Shide said without naming Mr Thackeray.

The Uddhav faction leader Anil Parab said that the Speaker’s decision will not survive the scrutiny of the Supreme Court.

“When the SC directed the Speaker to decide the disqualification petitions, it also set a framework for him. But that framework has been violated by the Speaker. If the decision was as per the framework given by the SC, the Shinde faction MLAs would have been disqualified. Soon, this matter will go to the SC and the court will take cognisance of the violation of its directives,” he said.