Who is Rahul Narwekar? BJP MLA takes charge as new Maharashtra Assembly Speaker 

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker 2022: BJP's Rahul Narwekar was elected as the new Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on July 3, 2022. He has become the youngest Speaker of an Assembly across the country. Narwekar was elected as the new Maharashtra Assembly speaker with 164 votes favour and 107 against at the special assembly session after the formation of the new Eknath Shinde-BJP government in the state. 

Rahul Narwekar took charge as the new Maharashtra Assembly Speaker amid chants of "Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji", "Jai Sri Ram", "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram". The AIMIM and Samajwadi Party (SP) abstained from voting against Rahul Narwekar. A total of 3 MLAs abstained from voting in the Maharashtra Assembly including one AIMIM MLA Shah Farukh Anwar and two Samajwadi MLAs Abu Azmi and Raees Shaikh, who kept sitting during the head count, while one AIMIM MLA was absent from the house.

#WATCH | BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar takes charge as the Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly amid chants of "Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji", "Jai Sri Ram", "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram".

(Source: Maharashtra Assembly) pic.twitter.com/oQ1qn2wdcp

— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2022

The new Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said while addressing the Maharashtra Assembly, "Now a BJP-Shiv Sena govt has taken charge, based on the beliefs of Balasaheb Thackeray. Till date, we had seen that people change sides from Opposition to Government but this time leaders of Govt went to Opposition."

He continued by saying, "I myself was a minister, several other ministers too left the Government. This was a huge thing for a common worker like me who was devoted to the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe."

I myself was a minister, several other ministers too left the Government. This was a huge thing for a common worker like me who was devoted to the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde in the State Assembly pic.twitter.com/l5lPGOhXp9

— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2022

Former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis also spoke in the State Legislative Assembly saying, "This government of BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, under the leadership of Eknath Shinde, will try to fulfill all the aspirations of Maharashtra and we hope that you (Speaker) will give a good co-operation for the same."

This government of BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, under the leadership of Eknath Shinde, will try to fulfill all the aspirations of Maharashtra and we hope that you (Speaker) will give a good co-operation for the same: Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in the State Assembly pic.twitter.com/KHqwXg9kjk

— ANI (@ANI) July 3, 2022

READ: Eknath Shinde: Meet Maharashtra's new Chief Minister- Know 7 Lesser Known Facts

Who is Rahul Narwekar?  New Maharashtra Assembly Speaker - 5 Lesser Known Facts

1. Rahul Narwekar, a first-time MLA, had defeated Congress MLA Ashok Jagtap from Colaba constituency in South Mumbai in Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2019. Narwekar had joined the BJP just hours before filing his nomination for MLA post from the constituency. 

2. Narwekar was earlier elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council in June 2016 as a nominated member. 

3. He was earlier a member of the Shiv Sena and had risen to become the spokesperson of Yuva Sena, Shiv Sena's youth wing headed by Aditya Thackeray. 

4. He was though denied a ticket in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and quit the party to join the Nationalist Congress Party. He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections from Maval constituency as an NCP candidate but lost to Shiv Sena's Shrirang Appa.

5. Rahul Narwekar is the son of Suresh Narwekar, who was a Municipal Councillor from the Colaba area. He is also the son-in-law of senior NCP leader Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar, who is currently the chairperson and speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Council. 

Vote of Confidence on July 4th 

The new Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government will now have to prove its majority in a vote of confidence on the floor of the house on July 4, 2022 in a two-day special session of the Assembly beginning today, July 3rd. 

Eknath Shinde, a Minister under former CM Uddhav Thackeray, was sworn in as the new Maharashtra Chief Minister on June 30, 2022 after he led a revolt against the Shiv Sena Chief and chose to ally with the BJP, bringing down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Former Maharashtra CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the deputy CM. 

Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis had met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari just a day after Uddhav Thackeray resigned as the Maharashtra Chief Minister and staked claim to form the government in the state. 

READ ALSO: Eknath Shinde sworn in as new Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis sworn in as Deputy CM

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Election 2022

While the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition had fielded Shiv Sena MLA Rajan Salvi as a candidate for the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar was fielded by Eknath Shinde-Fadnavis camp. 

The post of the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker had gone vacant after Congress' Nana Patole resigned from the office in February 2021, to take charge as the party's state unit chief. In the absence of a Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal had taken up the role of acting Speaker in the House.

READ ALSO: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray resigns from both Chief Minister and MLC post