Pawar vs Pawar: Why all eyes have turned to Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar

It’s a battle of Pawar vs Pawar and today (5 July) is a key day. Both camps – Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar – have called for a meeting with its MLAs today, a show of strength on both sides. This will be particularly interesting to see as it is still unknown as to which camp has the support of the MLAs.

The two factions have called for meetings in different parts of Mumbai – Sharad Pawar’s camp will have his meeting at 1 pm at Nariman Point, whereas newly sworn-in Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will hold a separate meeting in Bandra, the suburbs of Mumbai.

Ajit camp’s leader Praful Patel on Tuesday claimed that more than 40 MLAs are with them. “We have already said that we have the support of more than 40 MLAs. We have joined the state government as a party and not as a separate group. We are very clear on the fact that majority of the MLAs are with us,” said Patel.

On the other hand, the senior Pawar claims to have control of his party, with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state president Jayant Patil saying that all 44 MLAs are of the NCP and the party has taken action against the nine who joined the ruling alliance.

As the two leaders wrangle over the authority of the party, and the Sharad Pawar faction also initiating disqualification action against the rebels, all eyes turn to the Speaker of the Assembly, Rahul Narwekar.

We take a closer look at just how important will be Narwekar’s role in untangling this Maha drama.

Who is Maharashtra Speaker?

In July 2022, the Maharashtra Assembly voted in a new Speaker in BJP’s Rahul Narwekar. The BJP MLA representing the Colaba constituency, Narwekar had been associated with the Shiv Sena as well as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the past. In fact, he is the son-in-law of NCP leader Ramraje Nimbalkar, the former chairperson of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

Studying law, he began his political career in the Shiv Sena but left the party after he was denied a ticket for the 2014 Lok Sabha election after being associated with it for 15 years. He then joined Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and contested the election from Maval constituency but failed to gather enough votes. Later, in 2019, he switched his party and joined BJP as a MLA from Colaba.

What is the Speaker’s role in this drama?

As the Pawar camps fight it out, each claiming to have the support of the MLAs, the decision lies with the Speaker – Rahul Narwekar.

He will first have to decide on the official representation of the NCP. Stating the same, he had said on Tuesday that he will have to first decide whether the Nationalist Congress Party is in power or in Opposition in the House and “who represents it”.

“I cannot divide the NCP into two factions as there is no official split. I will have to ascertain whether the NCP is in power or not (in the Assembly),” Narwekar told a Marathi news channel.

As per the law, a group having two-thirds of the MLAs has the right to choose its own leader. In the 288-member Assembly, the NCP’s numbers after revolt in the party have come down from the earlier 53 MLAs, as leaders close to Ajit Pawar has claimed support of around 40 legislators.

Also read: Ajit Pawar sworn in as Maharashtra deputy CM: The rise of Sharad Pawar’s nephew

Narwekar’s judgement will also determine the designation of the party whip; from the Ajit camp it is Anil Patil whereas it is Jitendra Awhad from the Sharad faction. The speaker will have to decide this on the basis of the number of MLAs supporting each faction.

His decision will also extend to the appointment of the Leader of Opposition (LoP). It’s important to note here that before Ajit Pawar’s revolt, he was the Leader of the Opposition, but had announced that he no longer wanted the post. Earlier, he had said: “I have asked the party to relieve me from the post of the LoP. I want to work for the party and fulfil responsibilities given by it.”

The Speaker could state that as NCP is now a part of the government, the LoP position cannot be held by an NCP leader, potentially paving the way for the Congress party to assume the role.

Does he have a time limit to make his decision?

Given that the Speaker has a decision that would impact the political scene in the state, he has time on his hands. The Supreme Court has set three months as the outer limit for deciding disqualification petitions, unless the case involves exceptional circumstances.

Interestingly, the Speaker still has to make a decision regarding the Shiv Sena. When the party split in 2022, two factions emerged – one led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the other by former CM Uddhav Thackeray. The speaker has been tasked to determine the authentic Shiv Sena faction, a decision that is still pending.

What next?

Ajit Pawar’s revolt has plunged the party and the state politics into a deep crisis. Not only does Sharad Pawar’s party suffer, but it also puts a huge question on the future of the Maha Vikas Aghadi – the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress.

Moreover, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena is also wary of the developments. It is being reported that multiple leaders in the party are unhappy with Ajit Pawar’s entry into the government. As per a report in The Print, the Shinde camp MLAs had been waiting for a Cabinet expansion to get a bigger share of pie. However, with the induction of nine NCP MLAs, the state has only 14 vacant berths as opposed to 23 before Ajit Pawar-led faction joined.

There is also fear that with the entry of the NCP leaders, they will lose their candidature for the 2024 state elections.

It is too early to tell what the repercussions of the revolt may be, but one thing is certain: it has definitely shaken up the political circles of Maharashtra.

With inputs from agencies

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