Eknath Shinde's leadership acknowledged as true Shiv Sena by state assembly speaker

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar declared the Eknath Shinde-led faction of Shiv Sena as the "authentic political party" during the emergence of rival groups in June 2022. Narwekar announced his decision while addressing disqualification petitions filed by Shinde's Sena and the opposing faction led by Uddhav Thackeray against each other's MLAs. He emphasized that Sunil Prabhu of the Sena (UBT) ceased to be the whip from June 21, 2022, and Bharat Gogawale of the Shinde group became the authorized whip.

Also Read: Indian Navy Chief unveils Indigenous Drishti 10 Starliner Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The ruling triggered celebrations among Chief Minister Shinde's supporters, leading to firecracker displays. Meanwhile, Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Aaditya Thackeray announced their intention to challenge the Speaker's order in the Supreme Court.

Narwekar clarified that none of the petitions seeking the disqualification of MLAs were accepted, and no MLA would face disqualification. He also asserted that the Shiv Sena chief did not possess the authority to remove any leader from the party, rejecting the argument that the will of the party chief was synonymous with the will of the party.

The Speaker upheld the validity of the 1999 party constitution submitted to the Election Commission, making the `Rashtriya Karyakarini' (national executive) the supreme body. He dismissed the Thackeray group's reliance on the amended 2018 constitution, stating that it was not acceptable.

Responding to the ruling, Sanjay Raut labeled it as a BJP conspiracy, emphasizing that Shiv Sena would not be finished with this decision. He announced the party's intention to approach the Supreme Court.

NCP leader Sharad Pawar commented that Uddhav Thackeray would need to approach the apex court against the Speaker's ruling, which prioritized the legislature party.

In his detailed reading, Narwekar emphasized his rejection of the contention that the 2018 party constitution should be relied upon, affirming the Shiv Sena constitution of 1999 provided by the Election Commission as the authentic constitution. He highlighted that the Shinde group held a significant majority of 37 out of 54 MLAs during the emergence of rival factions in June 2022.

Also Read: Congress leaders declined Ram Mandir inauguration invitation

OTT India updates you with the latest news, Country’s no.1 digital news platform OTT India, Keeps you updated with national, and international news from all around the world. For more such updates, download the OTT India app on your Android and IOS device.