On Tuesday, just hours before the announcement of the Maharashtra assembly elections, seven new members of the state legislative council (MLCs), appointed by the governor, were sworn in. This event, took place at the Vidhan Bhavan following the Maharashtra government’s approval of their appointments on Monday. The seven members were nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Key Details:
- MLC Nominations: Of the seven appointees, three were nominated by the BJP, and two each by Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde’s faction) and Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
- Nominees:
- Shiv Sena: Hemant Patil (former MP) and Manisha Kayande (former MLC).
- BJP: Dharmaguru Babusingh Maharaj Rathod, Chitra Wagh (women’s wing president), and Vikrant Patil (state general secretary).
- NCP: Pankaj Bhujbal (son of Minister Chhagan Bhujbal) and Idris Naikwadi (former mayor of Sangli, Miraj Kupwad municipal corporation).
Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan approved the nominations of these seven members, leaving five posts still vacant. The MLCs are appointed for a tenure of six years and are chosen from various walks of life.
Background:
- The Maharashtra state cabinet cleared these appointments earlier this week, and the governor’s approval was swiftly followed by the swearing-in ceremony.
- The total capacity of the Maharashtra legislative council is 78 seats, with 12 MLCs appointed by the governor.
Legal Context:
- Earlier, the Maharashtra government informed the Bombay High Court that there were no legal impediments preventing these appointments. This clarification came during a hearing on a petition filed by a Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary, who challenged the withdrawal of a 2020 list of MLC nominees under the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
- Advocate General Birendra Saraf told the court that no stay or injunction was in place regarding the appointments, and there was no assurance from the government that the appointments would not proceed.
This development precedes the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, marking a significant political maneuver as the state prepares for the polls.
