Seven Maharashtra MLCs sworn in, hours before EC announcement of Assembly polls

All the seven MLCs who were sworn in today, belong to the Mahayuti faction

The swearing-in ceremony of seven MLCs (Members of Legislative Council) appointed by the Governor was held at Vidhan Bhavan on Tuesday (October 15, 2024). Deputy Chairperson of Maharashtra Legislative Council Neelam Gorhe administered the oath.

Notably, the 288 seats Maharashtra Assembly will go to polls later this year. The Election Commission of India is expected to announce the dates for the Assembly polls today (October 15, 2024). The upcoming Maharashtra election will see a contest between the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress, and the Mahayuti Alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).

All the seven MLCs who were sworn in today, belong to the Mahayuti faction.

On Monday, the State cabinet cleared seven out of 12 names and received approval from Governor C P Radhakrishnan. With his approval, the State government held its swearing-in ceremony at the Vidhan Bhavan.

The remaining five posts are left vacant.

Mr. Shinde rehabilitated former Lok Sabha MP Hemant Patil and former MLC Manisha Kayande, while the BJP chose Dharmaguru Babusingh Maharaj Rathod, Chitra Wagh, and Vikrant Patil.

Mr. Rathod heads Washim-based Poharadevi Sansthan, a prominent organisation of the Gor Banjara community. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the same temple a few weeks back.

Ms. Wagh is the State president of the saffron party’s women’s wing, and Vikrant Patil is the State general secretary.

Ms. Wagh, who was associated with the undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for nearly two decades, faced corruption allegations against her husband in 2016. She joined the BJP before the state assembly elections in 2019. In May 2023, the Bombay High Court acquitted her husband of the bribery charges.

The NCP chose Pankaj Bhujbal, the son of State cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal, and former mayor Sangli, Miraj Kupwad municipal corporation Idris Naikwadi.

No impediment in appointment of MLCs: Maharashtra govt to HC

Ahead of the swearing-in, the Maharashtra government told the Bombay High Court that there was no impediment in the appointment of seven MLCs for the 12 vacant posts in the State legislative council.

Advocate General Birendra Saraf told a division bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar there was no stay or injunction from the court or any assurance given by the government that the appointment would not be made.

This was after an advocate appearing for a former municipal corporator and Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary Sunil Modi told the bench that the appointment of the seven MLCs was being done, even as order was reserved on his plea challenging withdrawal of a list of 12 MLC nominees sent to the governor in 2020 by the then MVA government.

Sunil Modi's advocate Harshad Shrikandhe told the bench that the petitioner only wanted to bring to the HC's notice the development of the appointment of seven MLCs and nothing else.

The bench queried if the seven nominated members included persons from among the 12 nominated in the withdrawn list.

Mr. Saraf replied in the negative and said, "There is no stay or injunction granted on the appointment and no assurance also given that the appointment would not be made." The HC, on October 7, concluded hearing in Modi's PIL and reserved the judgement.

Sunil Modi had challenged the decision of the Eknath Shinde-led government to withdraw the recommendations made by the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government for the 12 nominated seats.

After the government changed in 2022 and Eknath Shinde took over as the Chief Minister, the new cabinet wrote to the governor that they were withdrawing the pending list of 12 names submitted by the earlier government.

On September 5, 2022, the Governor accepted the same and the list was returned to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Published - October 15, 2024 01:21 pm IST