A recent query by the Bombay High Court to the Maharashtra Governor over the appointment of 12 members to the Legislative Council has reignited a debate and raised the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance’s hopes of finding a solution to the impasse.
On Friday, a Division Bench of Justices S.J. Kathawalla and S.P. Tavade was hearing a public interest litigation over the delay in the appointment of the 12 MLCs despite the State Cabinet sending a list of recommended names and issuing two reminders.
The Bench then directed the secretary of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to file an affidavit on June 9 and adjourned the matter.
The issue has been brewing since the MVA government submitted to Mr. Koshyari its list of 12 nominees to the Legislative Council from the Governor’s quota in November last year. The appointment has emerged as a point of contention between the tripartite government and Mr. Koshyari, who served as a senior leader of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party before being appointed as the Governor.
Leaders from the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Shiv Sena have held several meetings with Mr. Koshyari to resolve the issue. The Governor has the prerogative to nominate 12 MLCs from the fields of literature, art, science, and social service. Though the Governor is expected to approve the names recommended by the State Cabinet, sources say that there is no fixed deadline to complete the process.
Expect action soon: NCP
Reacting to the court’s query, the NCP said Mr. Koshyari has been using the lack of a time frame to keep the decision pending. “We expect him to take action as the court has now intervened and sought his reply,” said senior NCP leader and State Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik.
“The court questioned the Governor on whether the file was sent to him for safekeeping in a drawer or to act upon it. We will now have to wait for his reply,” Mr. Malik said.