first time Bharatiya Janata Party ,BJP) MLA Rahul Narvekar (45) on Friday filed his nomination as the party’s candidate for the election to the post of Speaker in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. A day after forming the government with Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, broke awayThe BJP’s decision to nominate Narvekar for the coveted post has surprised many.
Narvekar, a lawyer by profession, who has been associated with the Army as well as the Congress Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the past, joined the BJP for the October 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections. The saffron party fielded him from the upmarket Colaba constituency in south Mumbai, which he won. He is also the media in-charge of the state BJP at present.
If necessary, election to the Speaker’s post will be held on July 3, when a two-day special session of the Assembly will be convened to prove the majority of the Shinde-led government.
Narvekar had left Shiv Sena after a 15-year long association. In 2014, he was an aspirant for the seat of the State Legislative Council, which was denied to him by the Army.
Soon after, he left the Shiv Sena to join the Sharad Pawar-led NCP. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he contested from Maval constituency on an NCP ticket, but lost. Thereafter, he switched to BJP and was elected as its Colaba MLA.
In a clear departure from past precedents of political trend and nominating a senior and experienced leader for the post of president, the BJP’s move to elect Narvekar to the chief post has taken political circles in the state by surprise. BJP insiders, however, said, “Narvekar was chosen because he is well versed in the legal and legislative complexities. His expertise in the current political scenario will help in the conduct of the state assembly.” Party sources also said that despite being a first time MLA, Narvekar has been a seasoned leader as he has worked with various parties for a long time.
Politics also runs in Narvekar’s family. He is the son-in-law of senior NCP leader Ramraje Nimbalkar, former Speaker of the Legislative Council. His father Suresh Narvekar was a councilor in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). His brother Makrand is a second term councilor representing Ward No. 227 in BMC, while his sister-in-law Harshata is also a councilor from ward number 226 of BMC.