Who Is Rahul Narwekar? BJP Leader Who Became Maharashtra Speaker After Shiv Sena Split

Rahul Narwekar, a BJP legislator, was appointed the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker on July 3, 2022, days after Eknath Shinde took over as the Chief Minister.

Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar with CM Eknath Shinde (right), and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis. ( Image Source :Instagram@narwekarrahulmla )

Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar Wednesday pronounced his ruling on the cross-petitions filed by both factions of the Shiv Sena seeking the disqualification of each other’s MLAs. In a setback for the Uddhav Thackeray camp, he observed that the faction led by Eknath Shinde was the real Shiv Sena. The erstwhile Shiv Sena founded by Bal Thackeray split in 2022 after a rebellion by the Shinde group.

Narwekar, a BJP legislator, was appointed the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker on July 3, 2022, days after Eknath Shinde took over as the chief minister. It was the Supreme Court that had in May 2023 tasked Speaker Narwekar with the responsibility of deciding on the disqualification petitions of 34 MLAs from both Senas. 

Who Is Rahul Narwekar?

A former Shiv Sainik, Rahul Narwekar was seen as a confidant of Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray. An advocate by profession, he was the face of the party on news channel debates and discussions.

Narwekar quit the Shiv Sena in 2014, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, to join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He contested the Maval parliamentary seat on an NCP ticket but lost. He was later given a Legislative Council seat.

Ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections, in 2019, Narwekar quit the NCP and joined the BJP. He contested the Colaba seat and won it.
Senior NCP leader and former Legislative Council chairman Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar is Narwekar’s father-in-law.

Making Headlines

Since giving him the responsibility of deciding on the disqualification of MLAs, the SC has often pulled up Narwekar for delaying the verdict and later set a deadline for him.

As the Speaker, Narwekar has also been accused by the opposition of working on instructions from the ruling alliance.

In December 2022, NCP state president Jayant Patil accused Narwekar of not letting him speak in the assembly. According to media reports, Patil said Narwekar should “not behave like a shameless person”. The NCP legislator was suspended for the entire Winter Session after that.  

Narwekar also faces a no-confidence motion moved by the Congress party that accused him of being partisan while conducting proceedings in the House.