The Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, Rahul Narwekar, is anticipated to announce the decision on the disqualification of Shiv Sena MLAs from the rebel Eknath Shinde camp on Wednesday, January 10, according to sources.
The hearing on the Shiv Sena's disqualification plea against the rebel MLAs concluded on December 20. Subsequently, the Speaker instructed both the petitioners and respondents to submit their written submissions by December 27. The Speaker has now scheduled January 10 for delivering the verdict, as per the sources.
The Shiv Sena filed the disqualification plea after 39 of its MLAs, led by Eknath Shinde, rebelled against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's leadership and formed a government with BJP support. The Shiv Sena's argument for disqualification is based on the claim that the rebel MLAs violated the party's whip by not attending Assembly proceedings.
In response, the rebel MLAs contend that they are still Shiv Sena members and assert that the party's whip issued was illegal. The Speaker's decision is anticipated to significantly influence the political landscape in Maharashtra.