Video Editor: Vivek Gupta
Maharashtra politics is a suspenseful thriller which has now reached the Supreme Court’s door. A question on everybody’s mind is: When will the floor test, which will dictate who attains majority in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, be conducted, what rules would be at play for it, and under whose watch will it take place?
Another burning question is: Who will be the pro-tem speaker in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly during the floor test? Whoever sits in the Assembly Speaker’s seat will have the power to reverse the results to benefit the upcoming government of Maharashtra.
Who Is a Pro-Tem Speaker?
A Latin word, pro-tem in English stands for ‘for the time being’. A pro-tem speaker conducts the Assembly’s proceedings till a permanent speaker is appointed. The oath-taking of the MLAs and the floor test in Maharashtra Assembly will take place under a pro-tem speaker’s supervision.
In times when loyalty is subject to money and power, each MLAs vote can make or break the government.
NCP’s Ajit Pawar was the Legislative Party Leader when he disavowed party supremeo Sharad Pawar and chose to support the BJP – Ajit Pawar is the leader of the 54 MLAs elected in the Legislative Assembly.
On 23 November, Sharad Pawar removed Ajit Pawar from the post and appointed Jayant Patil in his place instead. Now, during the floor test, will the 54 MLAs accept orders from Ajit Pawar or from Jayant Patil?
The floor test depends on who NCP’s Legislative Party Leader is, the ‘certificate’ for which will be given by the pro-tem speaker.
When fingers are being pointed at the Governor for dissolving President’s Rule and allowing for sudden oath-taking of CM and Deputy CM, will the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine be able to trust the pro-tem speaker appointed by the same governor?
Sit tight – the drama in Maharashtra politics is far from over.
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