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Maharashtra speaker disqualifies 7 dissident MLAs

The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Arun Gujarathi on Thursday disqualified from the house seven of the eight MLAs who had withdrawn support to the Democratic Front government, facing trust motion later in the day.

However, the case of Padmakar Walvi has been kept pending, the speaker told reporters.

The legislators-- five Nationalist Congress Party MLAs, one Janata Dal (Secular) and one nominated member -- have been disqualified 'since their conduct, behaviour and action appeared as if they had voluntarily resigned from the party', the Speaker said.

While Narayan Pawar, Shivajirao Naik, Narsingh Patil and Vinay Kore (all NCP) have been disqualified from the house since June 4, NCP MLA Shirish Kotwal and nominated member Desmond Yates have been disqualified from June 5 and June 7 respectively.

The JD (S) candidate Gangaram Thhakrwad has been disqualified from June 4, the Speaker said.

All these above seats will now be considered vacant, Gujarathi said.

However, Walvi, the lone Congress MLA, who had gone back to Congress camp on Wednesday, would be permitted to vote since his case has been kept pending, the Speaker added.

The speaker said he had gone by the previous Supreme Court judgments in the Ravi Naik vs state of Goa and Kohito vs state of Manipur cases.

Gujarathi said JD (S) candidate Thakkarwad has been disqualified on the ground that there was no split in the original political party to which he belonged.

He said the five NCP MLAs were disqualified as per Article 2 i(A) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution under which if any action or conduct of an MLA makes it evident that the said candidate had voluntarily resigned from the party then he can be disqualified for the same.

The speaker said as per Art 190 (3), the seats have been declared vacant and the Election Commissioner has been informed of the same.

The Speaker has also ordered for publishing the same in the official gazette of the house.

Following the disqualification, the DF combine now has 144 MLAs on its side, while Sena-BJP has 133, with five PWP MLAs abstaining from the crucial vote in the house, that has 288 members and one nominated member.

PTI

Complete Coverage of the Crisis in Maharashtra

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