Maharashtra: After Taking Oath As CM, Eknath Shinde To Prove Majority On July 4

The Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs will meet this evening to discuss the Assembly Speaker’s election.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. (Source: AFP)

New Delhi: Eknath Shinde-led government will need to prove its majority in the Maharashtra Assembly on July 4. This comes as Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has asked Shinde to prove his majority in the House. In tune with the same, the Cabinet has decided to convene a two-day special session of the state legislature on July 3 and 4, Asian News International (ANI) reported.

The nomination for the Speaker’s election will be filed on July 2 and the poll will be held a day later.

The Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs will meet this evening to discuss the Assembly Speaker’s election.

The candidate’s name is likely to be finalised in the meeting, the news agency reported sources as saying.

The Vote of Confidence will be carried out on July 4.

BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis took over as Shinde’s deputy.

This came after Uddhav Thackeray-led government fell post Shinde breaking away with 39 Shiv Sena MLAs, pushing the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in minority.

Shinde, who also had support of independents -- taking the total number to 50 -- formed the government with the BJP, which has 106 MLAs in the House.

A party or alliance needs 145 MLAs to prove majority in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.

From the Opposition, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has 53 MLAs and the Congress 44 MLAs.

Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Samajwadi Party have two MLAs each.

Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which is backing Shinde-led government, has one seat in the House.