NAGPUR: BJP MLC Ram Shinde filed his nomination for the election to the chairperson of the legislative council on Wednesday. While chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Ajit Pawar accompanied Ram Shinde, deputy CM Eknath Shinde didn’t join them.
Ram’s nomination is being seen as a setback for Shiv Sena led by Eknath, which was seeking the council chairperson’s post. Sena’s Neelam Gorhe, who is currently deputy chairperson, was said to be in the race.
Ram said, ” Congress also said that it will not be filing any nominations, so this election will be unopposed. That has sent a good message. I thank CM Fadnavis and the deputy CMs. Some discussion could have happened at the senior level between BJP and Sena.”
Elections to the prestigious post were not held as Shiv Sena and NCP were split in 2022 and 2023 respectively. BJP has a majority in the council, but Sena was keen to get the post since BJP has the speaker’s post in the legislative assembly. Now BJP will have presiding officers in both Houses of the legislature.
Party sources said BJP has picked Ram for the post as he is from the Dhangar community. He was MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed but was defeated by NCP’s (SP) Rohit Pawar in 2019 and in 2024.
In July, Maha Vikas Aghadi’s MLAs and MLCs led by leader of opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve had met then governor Ramesh Bais and urged him to direct that the election to the council’s chairperson be held during the monsoon session. However, the election was not held then.
A BJP functionary said, “Ram lost the assembly polls in 2019 and was made an MLC, but he also lost the 2024 assembly polls. However, so far neither he nor MLA Gopichand Padalkar, who is also from the Dhangar community, have been made ministers in the new govt. So the party is nominating Ram for the chairperson’s post. BJP is the largest party in the council and Ram’s election will be easy and most likely unopposed.”