Maha cabinet again asks Koshyari to name Thackeray as MLC

Stepping up pressure on

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the state cabinet on Monday once again asked him to nominate Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to the Legislative Council.

Thackeray took charge as chief minister on November 28 last year and has to become a member of the legislature within a month to continue in the post. As of now, he is not a member of either the state Assembly or Council.

A cabinet meeting, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, decided to recommend to Koshyari to nominate Thackeray to one of the two seats of governor nominees in the Council.

A similar request was made to the governor earlier this month at another cabinet meeting, also chaired by Pawar.

 

Thackeray's plans to become a legislator through election suffered a setback as all elections were postponed by the Election Commission in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

With Koshyari yet to give his nod to appoint Thackeray to the Legislative Council, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut targeted the BJP central leadership for the delay.

In his weekly column Rokhthok in Sena mouthpiece Saamana on Sunday, Raut expressed confidence that Thackeray will remain the chief minister after May 27.

Thackeray had on Sunday said politics should be kept aside during the ongoing war against COVID-19.

In his column, Raut said, "If the governor decides to sign the nomination file, he can do so instantly. But he would have to ask the BJP leaders in Delhi.