Mumbai Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar on Wednesday gave his verdict on the split in Shiv Sena between Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde. Now it is Sharad Pawar’s turn to break into NCP. According to a report, Rahul Narvekar can give his decision on the split in NCP by this month i.e. 31st January. The English newspaper Times of India, after looking at the records of the Assembly Secretariat, has reported that the Speaker had started the proceedings on the split in NCP on January 6 itself. Before January 18, witnesses and affidavits are also going to be given by NCP’s Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar faction. After this, on January 20, Speaker Rahul Narvekar will interrogate the witnesses and then the date of January 23 has been fixed for reply.
The Speaker will hear from January 25 to January 27 regarding the petition filed by Sharad Pawar faction on the disqualification of Ajit Pawar and other rebellious NCP MLAs. The Supreme Court has already told the Speaker to give the verdict in the NCP case by January 31. In such a situation, there are full chances that Rahul Narvekar will give his verdict on the rebellious move of Ajit Pawar and his associates against Sharad Pawar by this date. NCP’s Ajit Pawar faction has said that this matter is different from Shiv Sena. The question is that from which of the two groups the whip issued is legally correct. Apart from this, after participating in the NDA meeting, Sharad Pawar faction had initiated action against Ajit faction.
Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel, one of the MLAs and working presidents of his faction in NCP, had adopted rebellious attitude on 2 July 2023. All of them separated and joined the BJP led NDA. Ajit Pawar then became the second Deputy CM in the NDA government. Some MLAs from his camp were also made ministers in the Maharashtra government. The factions of Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar have also filed an application in the Election Commission regarding their claim on NCP. Both the NCP and its election symbol are claiming the clock as their own. The Election Commission has reserved its decision after hearing the arguments of both the parties. Now, if the Speaker finds the arguments of Ajit Pawar’s group correct, then after Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra’s most senior leader Sharad Pawar may also get a big blow.