In a last-minute development ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Governor C P Radhakrishnan, on the recommendation of the State Cabinet, has approved seven nominations for the vacant posts in the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC). These appointments come just hours before the Election Commission of India's scheduled announcement of Assembly polls, set for 3:30 PM on Tuesday.
Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Neelam Gorhe, will administer the oath to the newly appointed MLCs at noon, ensuring the swearing-in ceremony is completed before the election announcement.
Breakdown of Party Representation
Out of the seven MLC positions, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured three seats, while the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have been allocated two seats each. The BJP's nominees include:
- Chitra Wagh, the party's state women?s wing chief
- Vikrant Patil, state general secretary
- Babusingh Maharaj Rathod, a spiritual leader from the Banjara community
The NCP has nominated:
- Pankaj Bhujbal, a former MLA and son of Minister Chhagan Bhujbal
- Idris Naikwadi, a prominent minority leader from Western Maharashtra
The Shiv Sena has chosen:
- Manisha Kayande, a former MLC
- Hemant Patil, a former Lok Sabha MP
A Long-Awaited Development
This round of appointments concludes a long-standing issue surrounding the nominations for these vacant MLC seats under the Governor?s quota. The Mahayuti Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, during its tenure, submitted its recommendations for the 12 vacant MLC seats to then-Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari twice, but no action was taken to approve or reject the proposed names.
The delay led the MVA to approach the Bombay High Court, which refrained from giving specific directives but highlighted the need for a timely decision. A High Court bench, led by then Chief Justice Dipankar Datta, noted in its August 13, 2021, ruling that the Governor had an obligation to make a decision within a reasonable timeframe. It emphasized that Legislative Council seats "cannot be kept vacant indefinitely."
However, the process took a new turn when Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde requested Governor Koshyari in 2022 to withdraw the nominations previously submitted by his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray.
Legal Battle and the Final Outcome
The legal battle escalated to the Supreme Court, where a bench led by Justice K M Joseph on September 26, 2022, directed the Maharashtra government to take no further steps regarding the vacant posts until further consideration. The status quo was maintained until July 11, 2023, when the apex court allowed for further proceedings. This allowed intervenor Sunil Modi to file independent proceedings, which eventually led to the High Court's involvement once again.
Now, with these new appointments, the issue surrounding the vacant MLC posts has finally been resolved, just in time for the looming Assembly elections.
