Maharashtra: Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Alliance Passes Floor Test, 169 MLAs Stand In Support

Amid walkout by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers, the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance on Saturday passed the Maharashtra Assembly floor test with 169 MLAs extending support. In the 288-member Assembly, 105 BJP MLAs boycotted the proceedings while four lawmakers abstained from voting. Nobody voted against the motion, pro tem Speaker Dilip Walse Patil informed the House. In the October 21 Assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party winning 105 seats. The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress won 56, 54 and 44 seats respectively in the October 21 polls. 

The opposition party alleged that it would take up the issue with Governor B S Koshyari. The BJP also objected to replacing party's Kalidas Kolambkar as the pro tem speaker with NCP's Dilip Walse Patil, saying that such a thing happened for the first time in the history of India as the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance scared of losing floor test under a regular Speaker.

Eknath Shinde and Subhash Desai (Shiv Sena), Jayant Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP) and Balasaheb Thorat and Nitin Raut (Congress) had taken oath as ministers at Thackeray’s swearing-in ceremony held at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Thursday. Thackeray introduced the ministers during the special session of the 14th state Legislative Assembly, before facing the floor test.

Shinde and Desai were health and industries ministers respectively in the previous Devendra Fadnavis government. Bhujbal was a deputy chief minister, while Patil had held portfolios like finance and rural development during the 15 years rule of the Congress-NCP till 2014.

Thorat and Raut have been revenue and animal husbandry ministers respectively for some time during the same period. The ministers were sworn-in on November 28 along with The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress came together to form government in Maharashtra after the Thackeray-led party fell out with its ally BJP over sharing chief ministerial post after the Assembly election result was announced on October 24.