MVA delegation meets Maharashtra Governor over Speaker election 

MUMBAI: A delegation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday and handed over a letter seeking his approval for holding an election for the post of Legislative Assembly Speaker during the ongoing winter session of the state legislature.

State Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde (of Shiv Sena), Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat (of Congress) and Food and civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal (of NCP) met the governor at the Raj Bhavan this evening.

The election for the post of the legislative assembly speaker is likely to be held during the ongoing winter session, which ends on December 28.

The session had begun on December 22.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Thorat, who is also the Congress legislature party leader, said they handed over to the governor a letter written by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, seeking his approval for the election schedule for the speaker's post.

"The governor sought details of the amendments to the legislative rules about holding the election through voice vote instead of ballot. He said he will discuss and seek more information from legal experts and convey his decision by tomorrow," Thorat said.

Shinde said the change in procedure of holding the speaker's election has been done as per the rules and they were confident that the governor would his approval soon.

The assembly speaker's post has been lying vacant since February this year after Nana Patole, who occupied that post, resigned to take charge as state Congress chief.

Congress MLA Sangram Thopte is said to be frontrunner for the post.

Thorat and Shinde said the governor neither discussed the issue of suspension of 12 BJP MLAs from the Assembly nor talked about the long-pending nomination of 12 members to the Legislative Council from the governor's quota.

(With PTI Inputs)