First-time BJP legislator Rahul Narvekar has been elected as the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker in a special two-day session of the Assembly on Sunday. Narvekar secured over 164 votes in the Speaker Assembly polls. Sena MLA and Uddhav Thackeray loyalist Rajan Salvi was the candidate of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine. He secured 107 votes.

BJP legislator Rahul Narvekar easily went past the majority mark as voting to elect the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker was held via head count with 164 votes. He was up against Shiv Sena MLA Rajan Salvi of the Uddhav Thackeray team who got 107. Earlier, the two Shiv Sena factions, one headed by Uddhav Thackeray and the other led by Eknath Shinde, issued whips asking the MLAs to vote for their respective Speaker candidates.

Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs who support the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde returned to Mumbai from Goa on Saturday evening on the eve of a special session for the Speaker election as well as a floor test of the new government. The election to the post of the Speaker of the House was held on Sunday after the House proceedings began at 11 am. The voting was done via head count. The supporters of the new government were seen wearing saffron turbans.

The post of Assembly Speaker has been lying vacant since Nana Patole of Congress resigned in February 2021 to become his party’s state unit president. Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal was officiating as acting Speaker in the meantime. The election for the post of Assembly Speaker is crucial in view of the recent turn of events in the state. Legal experts say that the Speaker may dismiss the disqualification proceedings against 16 rebel MLAs, including newly sworn-in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The disqualification notices were issued to them by Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal last month.

The decision on forming a new cabinet under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be taken after holding the Assembly session, Maharashtra BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said on Saturday. The decision to allocate portfolios will be taken once the two-day session is over. BJP leaders have been holding meetings with a focus on the two-day session. Once this session is over, the state leadership of both the parties (the BJP and the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena) can decide about the allocation of portfolios,” he said.

On July 4, newly sworn-in Chief Minister Shinde will take a floor test. As many as 50 MLAs who support Shinde, including 39 rebel legislators of the Shiv Sena, on Saturday evening flew to Mumbai from Goa by a chartered flight. Shinde, who had flown to Goa in the morning, accompanied them back.

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