Maharashtra assembly speaker election will be held at appropriate time: CM Uddhav Thackeray to Governor BS Koshyari

MUMBAI: Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray clarified that the state business advisory committee decided to hold a two-day monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature considering the ongoing second wave of Covid-19 and the threat of the third wave.
He also cited the same reason for the delay in holding the assembly speaker’s election. Thackeray stated that in absence of the speaker, the deputy speaker has been given the charge, which neither violates any constitutional provision nor creates any constitutional issue and the speaker's election will be held at an appropriate time.
Thackeray in his reply to Governor BS Koshyari’s letter dated June 24, clarified issues raised by him such as holding the state assembly speaker’s election, holding at least a week-long monsoon session of the state legislature instead of two days and deferring the by-elections of local bodies as the issue related to political reservation of OBCs is pending in the Supreme Court.
About the speaker’s election, CM stated that the state is willing to hold the election for the post, however, the programme could not be finalised until every legislator goes through an RT-PCR test for Covid-19. Considering the pandemic and health of MLAs, the elections will be held with due process, at an appropriate time, he said.
CM Thackeray also clarified that the Maharashtra government has requested the state election commission to postpone the local bodies' by-elections against the backdrop of the pandemic. The SEC has announced a by-elections programme of six Zilla Parishads and 27 Panchyat Samitis as per the directions of the SC verdict on the political reservation of OBCs.
Thackeray mentioned in his letter that the state government is concerned over the OBCs' political reservation and has already raised the issue in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him for a permanent constitutional solution for the issue.
The state also requested the Centre to hand over the OBCs' empirical data required to determine backwardness of the OBC category, for political reservation.
Thackeray also urged the Governor that he too should follow up the issue with the Centre at his level to get empirical data so that the state can take further steps.