Mumbai: The Maha Vikas Aghadi government dropped plans to conduct the election to the post of Speaker, on the final day of the weeklong Winter Session which ended here on Tuesday December 28.
The move came amid speculation that Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had reportedly rejected the MVA’s plea to hold the elections through a voice vote instead of secret ballot.
The Governor is said to have indicated that the amendments in the rules to the effect were in violation of the Constitution, though the MVA leaders have contended that it was within the laws and the government’s jurisdiction.
Earlier in the day, the MVA allies Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress leaders met and decided not to pursue the issue to avoid yet another collision with the Raj Bhavan, besides the possible legal or Constitutional implications.
Now, the MVA leaders have hinted that the Speaker’s election may be held only during the Budget Session as the issue remained unresolved despite three letters being sent to the Raj Bhavan.
On the other hand, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has stoutly opposed the amendments to the rules of holding the elections by voice vote instead of secret ballot on various grounds right from the beginning.
Some leaders, including state BJP President Chandrakant Patil, have warned that if the government insisted on going ahead with the polls, it could lead to imposition of President’s Rule in the state — a possibility that the MVA would not exactly relish.
