The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly speaker, Rahul Narwekar, declared the Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, to be the “real political party” on Wednesday, ending the months-long wait that had been brewing tension in the state’s political atmosphere and dealing yet another blow to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

Following Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly Rahul Narwekar’s ruling that the Eknath Shinde faction was the “real” Shiv Sena, Priyanka Chaturvedi, a Lok Sabha member from the opposing UBT group, said, “Wahi hota hai jo manzoor-e-khuda’ hota hai.”

Real Shiv Sena

– Speaker of the Assembly Rahul Narwekar rendered a decision that is likely to write a new chapter in the Shiva Sena legacy battle by failing to disqualify any MLA from either of the two factions, Uddhav Thackeray or Eknath Shinde. The decision that followed Speaker Narwekar’s 105-minute speech cemented Eknath Shinde’s status as the Maharashtra Chief Minister and a “Shiv Sena Chief,” nearly eighteen months after he rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray, which ultimately led to the overthrow of the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Speaker Narwekar denied the Uddhav Thackeray faction’s request to dismiss 16 members of the ruling party, including Shinde, in his verdict on Wednesday.

– Narwekar argued that the anti-defection statute found in the 10th schedule of the Constitution cannot be used by the party leadership as a justification for dissension or disarray inside the party. In his ruling on the disqualification petitions brought forth by the rival Thackeray faction and the Shinde-led Sena against each other’s MLAs, Narwekar stated that legislator Bharat Gogawale of the Shinde group took over as the authorized whip on June 21, 2022, the date the party split. Notably, the Election Commission granted the Shinde-led faction the name “Shiv Sena” and the “bow and arrow” symbol early in 2023.

– The verdict is significant because it strengthens the political position of Chief Minister Shinde within the ruling coalition, which also includes the BJP and the NCP (Ajit Pawar group), ahead of the summer Lok Sabha elections and the Maharashtra assembly elections that are scheduled for the second half of 2024. Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, and Aditya Thackeray, the leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT), announced that their party will file a case in the Supreme Court challenging the Speaker’s ruling. In response to the decision, Shinde stated that the party chief’s judgment could not represent the organization as a whole. The ruling, he claimed, clearly states that no party is a “private limited property” and that dynasty politics and dictatorship are unacceptable.

– Supporters of the embattled Shiv Sena (UBT) came together. NCP founder Sharad Pawar stated in Pune that while Narwekar’s decision was “not at all surprising,” the rival faction led by Thackeray ought to appeal it in the Supreme Court.

-His supporters bordering Thane, Shinde’s political territory, rejoiced at the decision. They gathered at the Anand Ashram, the regional party headquarters, and generously honored the late Anand Dighe, a stalwart of the Shiv Sena.

SOURCE: https://www.livemint.com/politics/maharashtra-news-eknath-shinde-led-shiv-sena-real-rules-speaker-rahul-narwekar-uddhav-thackeray-turns-to-supreme-court-11704933757722.html