The Maharashtra government has scheduled a special Vidhan Sabha session for Tuesday to facilitate discussions on the Maratha reservation matter.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde emphasized on Friday that Maratha reservation will be provided in accordance with the law, following the presentation of the report during the special assembly session scheduled for February 20.
"The survey has been conducted on nearly 2-2.5 crore people... Keeping in mind that the OBC community is not left behind in the process, the government will present the report to the cabinet committee. On February 20, we have called a special session of the assembly, after which the Maratha reservation will be given according to the terms of the law...," CM Shinde said.
The choice to conduct the session was made during the weekly Cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
"The cabinet meeting has given its nod to convene a one-day special session of the legislature on Tuesday, February 20, to discuss the various demands of the Maratha community," a note issued by the Chief Minister's office stated.
The choice to hold a special session was influenced by Maratha reservation advocate Manoj Jarange Patil, who is currently on a hunger strike at Antarwali Saarati village in Jalna district.
After the Maha Vikas Aghadi gathering, Congress leader Nana Patole stated that the Maharashtra Assembly session is set to begin on Monday, and mentioned that the gathering was convened to devise a plan for the session.
"The Maharashtra Assembly session commences tomorrow. The system is that they should call the opposition for BAC and discuss the proceedings of the House. However, the BJP government in the state does not want to follow the constitutional process. So, we came together to form a strategy for the session," Patole was quoted as saying by ANI.
Meanwhile, the political situation in Maharashtra is uncertain following Sharad Pawar's loss of his party's name and symbol.
Experienced politician Sharad Pawar stated on Saturday that the Election Commission's ruling to acknowledge the faction headed by his nephew Ajit Pawar as the authentic Nationalist Congress Party was not in compliance with the law.
Sharad Pawar has taken his case to the Supreme Court, contesting the ECI's decision to formally acknowledge the Ajit Pawar faction as the legitimate NCP and allowing them to use the party symbols.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed that the Election Commission of India's temporary permission for veteran leader Sharad Pawar to use 'Nationalist Congress Party--Sharad Chandra Pawar' will remain in effect until additional instructions are given.
On February 6, the election commission used the majority test in the legislative branch and decided that Ajit Pawar's faction was the authentic NCP. They allowed the faction to use the 'clock' symbol for the party.
The Election Commission's order stated that there were 81 NCP MLAs in the Maharashtra State Assembly. Ajit Pawar submitted affidavits from 57 MLAs in his support, while Sharad Pawar had only 28 affidavits.
Therefore, the election committee determined that the Ajit Pawar group had the majority backing of the lawmakers and could assert to represent the NCP.
