BJP MLC Ram Shinde was elected unopposed as the Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Thursday, December 19. His election was announced in the House today by the Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council, Dr. Neelam Gorhe. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated Ram Shinde on his election as Chairman.
Ram Shinde's unopposed election as the Speaker of the Legislative Council comes after the post had remained vacant for over two and a half years. On the final day of the election, Wednesday, the Mahavikas Aghadi chose not to field a candidate, effectively confirming Shinde's victory as he was the sole contender. His name was formally announced today, Thursday.
The Speaker’s position had been vacant since the term of the former Legislative Council Speaker, Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar, ended on July 7, 2022. Within the ruling coalition, there was competition for the Speaker’s post between the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and the BJP.
Deputy Speaker Dr. Neelam Gorhe’s name was reportedly under consideration for the role. Similarly, efforts were made by the Shinde faction to claim the position. However, given the BJP's numerical advantage in the Legislative Council, it was widely anticipated that the party would secure the post.
Within the BJP, the names of Ram Shinde and Praveen Darekar were being considered. Ultimately, senior BJP leaders favoured Shinde. On Wednesday, Shinde submitted his nomination to Legislative Council Secretary Jitendra Bhole in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Today, his unanimous election was officially announced.