BJP MLC Ram Shinde files nomination for Maharashtra council chairperson election

BJP MLC Ram Shinde files nomination

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC Ram Shinde on Wednesday filed nomination for the Maharashtra council chairperson election.

The Maharashtra council chairperson election will be held on Thursday and if BJP MLC Ram Shinde gets elected, the top presiding officer's posts in both houses of the state legislature will be with the BJP.

Last week, BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

The council chairperson's post has been lying vacant since July 7, 2022, after NCP leader Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar's term ended.

During the filing of his nomination, Shinde was accompanied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CM and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, BJP state head Chandrashekar Bawankule and party leader Chandrakant Patil.

Shinde became a member of the state legislative council on July 8, 2022.

He served as a minister in the previous Devendra Fadnavis government (from 2014-19).

Shinde lost to NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar from Karjat Jamkhed assembly seat in the November 20 state polls by a narrow margin. Pawar also defeated him in the 2019 state polls.

Among 78 members in the Upper House of the state legislature, the BJP has 19 members, Congress 7, Shiv Sena (UBT) 7, Shiv Sena 6, NCP (SP) and NCP 5 each, and there are 3 Independent members.

Governor C P Radhakrishnan, acting on the recommendation of the state cabinet, in October approved the names of seven MLCs out of the 12 vacant posts under the gubernatorial quota.

Opposition stages protest at Vidhan Bhawan steps over farmers' issues

Opposition members staged a protest for the third consecutive day at the Vidhan Bhawan steps on Wednesday, accusing the government of apathy towards farmers and not providing them adequate price for crop production, reported PTI.

The winter session of the Maharashtra legislature began on Monday in Nagpur.

On Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve, his Shiv Sena (UBT) colleagues Sunil Prabhu and Bhaskar Jadhav, Congress leaders Nana Patole Nitin Raut, Bhai Jagtap and other Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) legislators staged a demonstration at the Vidhan Bhawan steps.

They raised slogans claiming the government was not addressing the problems of farmers, and not paying adequate price to the cultivators for soyabean and cotton crops, reported PTI.

Speaking to reporters, Sena (UBT) leader Danve demanded that paddy farmers be paid a bonus.

He claimed the cotton and soyabean farmers were not getting adequate price for their produce.

Over the last two days, the MVA members targeted the BJP-led Mahayuti government in the state over various issues, including the problems of farmers, violence in Parbhani last week and the murder of a sarpanch in Beed district.

(With inputs from PTI)