MAHARASHTRA SPEAKER RULES SHINDE FACTION 'REAL SHIV SENA'

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Wednesday rejected the disqualification cross petitions filed by rival Shiv Sena groups in a crucial verdict and noted that the Shinde faction was real Shiv Sena following the June 2022 split in the party.

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“All the petitions seeking disqualifications are rejected and no one is disqualified from any faction of Shiv Sena,” the Speaker said as he read in the state assembly a lengthy verdict that went into on Shiv Sena constitution and changes made to it. He said “decision of Paksha Pramukh cannot be taken as the decision of the political party” and “Shinde faction was real Shiv Sena when rival factions emerged” in June 2022.

“In my view, the 2018 leadership structure (submitted with ECI) was not as per the Shiv Sena Constitution. Shiv Sena party chief as per the party Constitution cannot remove anyone from the party...Uddhav Thackeray removed Eknath Shinde or any party leader from the party as per the party Constitution. So the removal of Eknath Shinde by Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022 is not accepted based on the Shiv Sena Constitution,” the Speaker said. “Also, the will of the members of the leadership structure of 2018 cannot be the will of the political party, as there are contradictory views and claims about the majority in the leadership structure by both factions,” he added.