Maharashtra assembly speaker begins hearing disqualification pleas of rival Shiv Sena factions

Mumbai: Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Thursday began hearing the disqualification petitions filed against each other by two rival Shiv Sena factions led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray.

The hearing began around 10.30 am at the Vidhan Bhavan - the state legislature complex in south Mumbai - and continued till around 2 pm.

A total of 34 petitions are being heard. Both factions are being represented by their respective lawyers.

Talking to reporters, Anil Sakhre, the lawyer of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, said his team did not receive relevant documents from the opposite side.

Ravindra Waikar, an MLA from the Uddhav Thackeray faction, told media persons that Shinde group's claim (of not getting documents) was part of its delaying tactic.

"It is for the speaker to provide all relevant documents to both sides," he said.

He said the Thackeray faction wanted all the petitions to be clubbed and heard.

Waikar said the Supreme Court has held the whip issued by Sunil Prabhu, belonging to the Thackeray faction, as valid.

The hearing will resume next week.

In July, speaker Narwekar had issued notices to 40 MLAs of the Shinde-led Sena and 14 of the Thackeray faction, seeking their replies on disqualification petitions against them.

The notices were issued against a total of 54 MLAs, including CM Shinde and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray. But notice was not issued against Sena (UBT) MLA Rutuja Latke who was elected after the Shiv Sena split last year.

Prabhu had, in his capacity as chief whip of the undivided Shiv Sena, had filed the disqualification petitions against Shinde and other 15 MLAs last year after they rebelled and joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form a new government in June 2022.

On May 11, the Supreme Court ruled that Eknath Shinde will continue to be the chief minister of Maharashtra. It also said that it cannot reinstate the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government headed by Uddhav Thackeray as the latter chose to resign without facing a floor test in the wake of Shinde’s rebellion.