How a blunder by Nana Patole continues to haunt Maha Vikas Aghadi?

New Delhi: A tactical blunder committed by Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole in resigning from the Speaker's post in February 2021 continues to cost the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) dearly.

Patole gave up the important Constitutional post to become the Maharashtra Congress chief though his camp argued that he was asked to resign as the Speaker on the insistence of the Congress High Command.  

As a result, the Congress willingly let the game out of its hands.

It so happened that the MVA government in the winter session in December 2021 amended rules 6 and 7 of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Rule, 1960, under which the secret ballot method to elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the assembly was replaced with an open vote system through voice vote and show of hands.

However, the new rules were challenged by a BJP legislator, Girish Mahajan, in the Bombay High Court, which dismissed his plea. He later approached the Supreme Court, claiming that the December 23, 2021 notification was "illegally and arbitrarily issued by the state government.

The then Governor, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, repeatedly refused to give a nod for holding the Speaker's election, arguing the date cannot be fixed as the matter is sub-judice.

The post remained vacant for 17 months. Koshiyari finally agreed to fix the date but only after the MVA government, led by Uddhav Thackeray, was brought down by a revolt in the Shiv Sena. A new coalition government, headed by Eknath Shinde, assumed office on June 30 last year and three days later Rahul Narvekar of the BJP was elected Speaker of the state assembly, defeating Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena candidate Rajan Salvi.

Similarly in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, the Congress gave up the deputy chairperson's post after the resignation of Manickrao Thakre in July 2018.

Rest is history. Had Patole not resigned from the assembly Speaker's post, things would have perhaps been different for the MVA.