Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has called a special session of the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. Pro-tem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar will administer oath to newly elected MLAs tomorrow.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has called a special session of the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday where a floor test will be conducted after the Pro-tem Speaker administers oath to the 288 newly-elected members, an official said on Tuesday.
The oath will be administered by newly-appointed Pro-tem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar at the session, which will begin at 8 am.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress unanimously elected Uddhav Thackeray as their leader and candidate for chief minister's post.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said, "Three representatives of 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' will meet the Governor today. Swearing in ceremony to be held at Shivaji Park, Mumbai on December 1."
Kolambkar was appointed by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Tuesday evening on directions of the Supreme Court which ordered a floor test on Wednesday. "Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has called a special session of the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. The session would begin at 8am for the oath-taking ceremony of the 288 members. Following the oath, the Pro-tem Speaker will call for a floor test," the official said.
The newly-elected members couldn't take oath even one month after the results of the Assembly polls were announced, due to political ups and downs in the state.
The state remained under President's Rule for a period of 13 days between November 12 and November 23 in the wake of no political party being able to form the government.
Earlier in the day, ordering a floor test for the Devendra Fadnavis government, the apex court asked Koshyari to appoint a Pro-tem Speaker and ensure all elected members of the House are sworn in on Wednesday itself by 5 PM.
However, the BJP-led government, which was formed based on the support of NCP leader Ajit Pawar on November 23, collapsed on Tuesday afternoon, after Pawar stepped down as deputy chief minister and Fadnavis as chief minister.
The 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' comprising the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress, on Monday submitted a letter claiming support of 162 MLAs to the Governor. Earlier in the day, Fadnavis announced that he was stepping down as the BJP lost majority in view of Ajit Pawar resigning from his post.
Senior member Kalidas Nilkanth Kolambkar was sworn in as the Protem Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai.
The Supreme Court also asked Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to appoint a Pro-tem Speaker and ensure that all elected members of the House are sworn in on Wednesday itself to avoid horse trading efforts.
The apex court also directed Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to ensure that all elected members of the house are sworn in on Wednesday itself. A bench comprising Justices N V Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna also said the entire proceedings have to be telecast live. Voting in the Assembly shall not be on the basis of secret ballot, it said. The Governor will also appoint a Pro-tem Speaker who will administer oath to the newly elected members.
After taking oath, Kolambkar said the first session of the new Assembly will begin tomorrow. From 8 am onwards, oath will be administered to the MLAs.
(With PTI inputs)
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