BJP will take call on Maharashtra Speaker's election at appropriate time: Pravin Darekar

Representational Image

The BJP will take a call on whether to field a candidate for the election of the Maharashtra Assembly speaker or to chalk out another strategy at an appropriate time, party leader Pravin Darekar said on Sunday.

The post fell vacant after Congress MLA Nana Patole resigned in February this year to take over as the party's Maharashtra unit president. Recently, Maharashtra governor B S Koshyari had written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to take a call on filling the post of the speaker.

However, the election of Speaker cannot be held during the recently concluded two-day monsoon session of the state legislature. Darekar also said that the induction of BJP leaders Narayan Rane and Kapil Patil into the Union cabinet will prove beneficial especially for the Konkan region of Maharashtra.

Both Rane, a Rajya Sabha MP, and Patil, who represents the Bhiwandi Lok Sabha constituency, hail from the Konkan region. Speaking to reporters in Dombivali township in the Thane district, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council also said the induction of four ministers from Maharashtra, including Rane and Patil, will fast track development and ensure more funds for the state.

"Rane is inducted into the cabinet not because he is a Shiv Sena-baiter but for the development of the state," he said, adding the BJP is not a "narrow-minded" party. Darekar claimed that Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents- Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress- lacked coordination. "There is constant bickering among these three constituents. When it comes to the election of the speaker of the Assembly, the BJP will take a call on whether to field a candidate or to chalk out a different strategy," he said.

When asked about the suspension of 12 MLAs of the BJP during the recently-held monsoon session, Darekar said the action was aimed at reducing the strength of the party in the Maharashtra legislature.

Responding to a query on the demand for restoration of OBC quota in local bodies in Maharashtra, Darekar said the BJP didn't expect NCP leader and minister Chaggan Bhujbal to praise Devendra Fadnavis "whom he has always been blaming for everything". "Since the empirical data on OBC is faulty, the state government should set up a commission and deal with the issue," he said.

Darekar said the MVA government had failed to procure even a single Covid-19 vaccine but is blaming the Centre.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever