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Maharashtra Assembly
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday re-introduced the Special Public Security Bill in the state assembly, and said the proposed law is not aimed at suppressing genuine dissenting voices, but to close down the dens of urban Naxals. The previous Maharashtra government led by Eknath Shinde had in July this year tabled this bill, named as 'Maharashtra Special Public Security Act, 2024', in the assembly during the monsoon session. However, it could not be passed at that time. With the new government led by Fadnavis at the helm after the November 20 assembly elections, he re-introduced the bill in the House. Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis said the bill will be referred to the joint select committee of the state legislature so that all doubts related to it can be cleared. Views of the stakeholders will be considered and the bill will be cleared in the monsoon session of the state legislature to be held in July next year in Mumbai, he said. "Naxalism is not ...
Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Monday expressed his disappointment at not being included in the new Mahayuti government and said he would decide his future course after talking to people from his constituency. Thirty-nine legislators from Mahayuti allies, the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, were sworn in on Sunday in the first cabinet expansion of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government. Ten former ministers were dropped from the cabinet, and 16 new faces have been introduced. Former ministers Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil of NCP and Mungantiwar and Vijaykumar Gavit of BJP were some of the prominent leaders excluded from the new cabinet. Talking to reporters, Bhujbal said he was upset at not being included in the new cabinet. Asked about his future course, the legislator from the Yeola constituency in Nashik district said, "Let me see. Let me think it over. I will talk to my constituency and discuss with the Samata Parishad.' After the cabinet expansion on
The Maharashtra government on Monday tabled supplementary demands of Rs 33,788.40 crore, with a provision of Rs 1,400 crore for the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme. Minister Uday Samant tabled these supplementary demands, which are additional funds sought by the government over the budgetary allocations. In the last budget, the state government announced Rs 46,000 crore annually to provide a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to eligible women in the age group of 21 to 60 years under the Ladki Bahin scheme. More than 2.5 crore women have received the monthly instalments. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier said that the increase in the monthly instalments from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100 will be budgeted and implemented. Similarly, a provision of Rs 36 crore has been made for a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Malvan taluka of Sindhudurg district. Earlier this year, a 35-foot statue of the Maratha warrior king collapsed at the fort on August 26, just mont
Opposition members staged a demonstration on the steps of the Maharashtra Vidhan Bhawan here on Monday and raised slogans against the use of EVMs in elections. The protest was held on the opening day of the winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur. Leader of opposition in the state legislative council Ambadas Danve led the demonstration of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders, who called for "saving" the Constitution and democracy and opposed the use of EVMs. They raised slogans like "EVM Hatao Desh Bachao", "EVM Hatao Constitution Bachao" and "EVM Hatao Democracy Bachao". Danve was joined by Congress legislators Vijay Wadettiwar, Nitin Raut, Bhai Jagtap and Vikas Thakre, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Bhaskar Jadhav, Varun Desai and Sachin Ahir, and NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad. Talking to reporters, Danve claimed the Electronic Voting Machines were "dangerous" for democracy and that people were opposing the use of EVMs in elections. "We think the EVMs should be remov
Five days after assuming office, the Mahayuti alliance government in Maharashtra led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday comfortably won a confidence vote in the state assembly. The trust motion, tabled by Shiv Sena MLA Uday Samant and others, was passed by a voice vote on the last day of the three-day special assembly session. Some opposition members were absent when the trust motion was approved in the assembly. They included Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray. On December 4, when Governor C P Radhakrishnan handed Fadnavis the letter inviting him to form the government, he had stipulated in the document that the BJP leader must clear the trust motion in the House in 21 days, sources said. Speaker Rahul Narwekar, elected unopposed for a second straight term earlier in the day, announced that the trust motion has been approved by the newly-constituted House. The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP 'Mahayuti' coalition has a commanding majority of 230 seats in the 288-member assembly, w
The Shiv Sena (UBT) "boycotted" Rahul Narwekar's election as the Maharashtra assembly Speaker because he had helped run an unconstitutional government during his previous tenure, party leader Aaditya Thackeray said on Monday. Earlier in the day, Narwekar was elected unopposed as the Speaker after the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) decided not to put up a contest. Narwekar, the BJP MLA from Colaba in Mumbai, has served as the Speaker of the 14th Legislative Assembly for two and a half years. During his previous tenure, Narwekar had ruled that the party led by Eknath Shinde was the legitimate and real Shiv Sena after the undivided Sena split. He also held that the faction under Ajit Pawar was the real Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Speaking to the reporters in Mumbai, Aaditya Thackeray said the Shiv Sena (UBT) boycotted Narwekar's election and the induction of new MLAs during a three-day special session of the assembly. "Everybody knows about the MLAs who escaped to Surat and
BJP's Rahul Narwekar is poised to be elected unopposed as the speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly, with the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) deciding not to put up a contest. Narwekar, who was the speaker in the 14th assembly for two and a half years and gave the key verdicts tied to the Shiv Sena and NCP, was reelected from the Colaba assembly seat in Mumbai. Accompanied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Narwekar filed his nomination before the legislature secretary Jitendra Bhole on Sunday. MVA leaders met Fadnavis and urged him to follow the protocol of giving the deputy speaker's post to the opposition. They also sought the post of the leader of the opposition. The speaker's election will be formally announced in the House on Monday. This will be followed by a floor test to prove the new government's strength. Governor CP Radhakrishnan will then address the joint session of both Houses of the state ...
Opposition Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) members in Maharashtra on Saturday decided not to take oath as MLAs on the first day of the special three-day assembly session, alleging misuse of EVMs in the recently-held state polls. The special session of the Lower House of the state legislature began here at 11 am. Several members belonging to the ruling parties, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, took oath as members of the assembly. However, members from the opposition parties - Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) - decided not to take oath. Talking to reporters on the premises of the Vidhan Bhavan, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said, "The MVA has decided not to take oath as members of the House today. When a government comes to power with such a thumping majority, there are celebrations. A question arises whether the mandate it received was given by the people or the EVM and Election Commission of India." The opposition i
A special three-day session of the newly-constituted 288-member Maharashtra legislative assembly began here on Saturday, where MLAs will be administered the oath of office. Senior BJP MLA Kalidas Kolambkar on Friday took oath as a legislator and was then appointed pro-tem speaker of legislative assembly by Governor C P Radhakrishnan. A nine-time MLA, Kolambkar is the senior most legislator in the House and represents the Wadala assembly constituency in Mumbai. As pro-tem speaker, he will administer the oath of office to the rest of the 287 newly-elected MLAs. The assembly speaker's election will be held on December 9, which will be followed by a trust vote of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government and the governor's address to the joint sitting of both the houses of the state legislature. Results of the November 20 assembly polls were declared on November 23, wherein the Mahayuti alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) registered
BJP MLA Kalidas Kolambkar will take oath as the pro-tem Speaker of the Maharashtra legislative assembly on Friday, a day before the special three-day session of the Lower House of the state legislature begins. Talking to PTI this morning, Kolambkar, a nine-time MLA, confirmed that he will take oath as the pro-tem speaker at 1 pm at the Raj Bhavan. Governor C P Radhakrishnan will administer the oath to him, he said. Kolambkar currently represents the Wadala assembly constituency in Mumbai. As pro-tem speaker, he will administer the oath of office to 288 newly-elected MLAs, conduct the assembly speaker's election during the three-day special session of the 15th assembly beginning December 7. The speaker's election will be held on December 9 followed by a trust vote of the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government. Fadnavis on Thursday evening took oath as the state chief minister, while leaders of the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, were sworn in as deputy
A three-day special session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly will be held in Mumbai from December 7 to enable newly-elected MLAs to take oath and elect a speaker, legislature sources said on Wednesday. The winter session of the state legislature will be held in Nagpur from December 16 to 21. The sources told PTI that newly-elected MLAs will be sworn-in on December 7 and 8. On December 9, election for the speaker of the newly-constituted 15th assembly will be held and this will be followed by trust vote of the new Mahayuti government. At 4 pm, Governor CP Radhakrishnan will address a joint sitting of both houses of the legislature. Later, both houses will be convened and a condolence motion to pay homage to departed members and tabling of the Governor's address for discussion will be on the agenda, they said. The discussion on the Governors speech will be held in the winter session from December 16 to 21 in Nagpur, said the sources. The sources said the agenda for holding ..
Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, one of the two BJP observers for its Maharashtra legislature party meeting, on Tuesday said the name of the legislature party leader will be finalised after talks with the party's newly-elected MLAs. Rupani, who arrived in Mumbai late this evening for the meeting BJP's crucial legislature party to be held on Wednesday, said if there is unanimity, then only one name will be selected. The BJP has achieved remarkable success in the November 20 Maharashtra elections, securing 132 out of 288 seats, marking its best performance in the state so far. Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is being seen as the frontrunner for the top post in the new BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government. Speaking to reporters, Rupani said, "The government will be formed. Discussions with the elected MLAs will take place tomorrow. One name will be finalised and it will be announced later." He said the process of finalising the leader of the BJP's legislative party follows