Congress leader Nana Patole elected as Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly

A four-time MLA, Nana Patole was elected unopposed after BJP candidate Kisan Kathore withdrew his nomination.

Congress MLA Nana Patole was elected as the Speaker of Maharashtra assembly unopposed | PTI Photo | Shashank Parade

Mumbai: Congress leader Nana Patole has been elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly after BJP candidate Kisan Kathore withdrew his nomination on Sunday.

Pro tem speaker Dilip Walse Patil made the announcement after BJP candidate Kisan Kathore withdrew his nomination earlier in the day.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and some senior MLAs then escorted Patole to the Speaker’s chair.

The deadline to withdraw the nomination was 10 am on Sunday.

The Congress on Saturday announced party MLA Patole as the candidate of the ruling Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP alliance for the election to state Assembly Speaker’s post, while the BJP named Kathore as its nominee.

Patole represents Sakoli Assembly segment in Vidarbha, while Kathore is from Murbad in Thane district. This is the fourth term as an MLA for both.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government passed the floor test in the state Assembly on Saturday.

Altogether 169 MLAs voted in favour of the motion of confidence after the BJP, which has 105 MLAs, staged a walkout before the head count began in the 288-member House.