BJP's Ram Shinde elected as Maharashtra legislative council chairperson

BJP`s Ram Shinde with CM Devendra Fadnavis, Dy CM Ajit Pawar during the Winter session of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, in Nagpur. (Pic/PTI)

Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Ram Shinde on Thursday was elected unopposed as chairperson of the Maharashtra legislative council, reported news agency PTI.

The council chairperson's post was lying vacant ever since July 7, 2022, after NCP leader Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar's term ended more than three years ago.

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Now, the presiding officer's post in both houses of the state legislature is with the BJP, PTI stated.

BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar was elected unopposed as Speaker of the 15th Maharashtra legislative assembly last week during the ongoing winter session in Nagpur.

Before becoming a member of the Upper House of Maharashtra legislature on July 8, 2022, Shinde was a minister during Devendra Fadnavis's 2014-19 tenure.

In the recent Maharashtra assembly election, which was held on November 20, Shinde had lost the Karjat Jamkhed assembly seat to NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar by a narrow margin.

Maharashtra assembly winter session: MVA protests at Vidhan Bhawan steps over Amit Shah's Ambedkar remarks

Opposition members staged a protest at the Vidhan Bhawan steps in Nagpur on Thursday over Union minister Amit Shah's remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar and said the country will not tolerate insult of the Constitution's architect, reported news agency PTI.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders, wearing blue caps and stoles, took out a morcha from the Samvidhan Chowk in Nagpur.

They reached steps of the Vidhan Bhawan complex raising the slogan "Babasaheb ka apman nahi sahega hindustan", reported PTI.

The protesters included leader of opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve, Congress leaders Nana Patole, Nitin Raut, Vijay Wadettiwar, Bhai Jagtap, Shiv Sena (UBT) legislators Aaditya Thackeray, Sachin Ahir, Varun Sardesai, Bhaskar Jadhav and NCP (SP) legislator Rohit Pawar.

A massive political row erupted on Wednesday as the Congress and other opposition parties launched an all-out attack on Shah for his remarks on Ambedkar and demanded his sacking, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders rallied to his defence and said he has exposed Congress' "anti-Ambedkar" stand.

The opposition members claimed Amit Shah's remarks were an insult to Ambedkar.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh had shared a video snippet on X from Shah's speech in the Upper House of Parliament on Tuesday.

The Maharashtra assembly winter session is currently underway in Nagpur.

(With inputs from PTI)