Largest ally Shiv Sena lays claim to deputy speaker’s post

(This article was originally published by The Economic Times on 06/06/2019.)
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has conveyed three key demands to BJP president and Union home minister Amit Shah, including a claim for the post of deputy speaker in the new Lok Sabha.
Thackeray also sought greater ministerial representation for his party and made a pitch for a more “weighty portfolio” for Arvind Ganpat Sawant, the only Shiv Sena cabinet minister, who was allotted heavy industries and public enterprises.
“Sena pramukh Uddhav Thackeray has conveyed to the highest quarters in the BJP and the Central government that the Shiv Sena, being the second-largest ally of the NDA, has the natural claim to the post of the deputy speaker,” Shiv Sena parliamentary party leader Sanjay Raut told ET on Wednesday. “We hope our request will be considered positively.”
Bhavana Gawli is the senior-most Sena Lok Sabha member now.
The Janata Dal (United), then the second-largest NDA ally in the Rajya Sabha, was allotted the post of deputy chairman of the Upper House a few months ago.
“While we are happy that the BJP on its own has got majority in the Lok Sabha, it is also important that the respective strength of the allies be acknowledged,” Raut said.
With 18 members in the Lok Sabha and three in the Rajya Sabha, a single cabinet berth is disproportionate and the party should get a more rational and proportionate representation through an early expansion of the cabinet, Raut said.
Sawant’s current portfolio is “too insignificant” and the Shiv Sena wants a “more meaningful ministry” for him, Raut said.
The JDU, the third-largest NDA ally with 16 Lok Sabha seats, chose not to be part of the Union Cabinet after it was offered only one berth, as have all other BJP allies.
THE BJD ANGLE
The Sena’s demand comes amid speculation over who will be chosen as the deputy speaker.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik’s decision to replace eminent parliamentarian Bhartruhari Mahtab with Pinaki Misra as the BJD floor leader in the Lok Sabha has led to talk that Mahtab may be in the running.
While BJD circles say such talk is “mere speculation at this juncture,” many in the capital expect clarity on the matter during Patnaik’s likely meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi this weekend.
In the previous Lok Sabha, the main opposition Congress party was overlooked and the deputy speaker’s post went to the AIADMK, then the second-largest opposition party, which was perceived to be “friendly” to the Modi regime.
This time, too, there are no indications that the Congress will be offered the post. The DMK, a close ally of the Congress, is the second-largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha with 23 members, followed by TMC and YSRCP (22 each) and BJD (12).