Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) candidate Nana Patole was elected unopposed as the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker on Sunday as the BJP decided to withdraw its candidate from the fray.

Following the discussions between the ruling alliance and the opposition,  BJP nominee Kisan Kathore withdrew his nomination, paving the way for Patole’s unopposed election. Pro-tem Dilip Walse-Patil announced Patle’s appointment to the post.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray congratulated the new Speaker, saying that Patole’s rise from a farmer leader to the Speaker of the Assembly is commendable. Congratulating Patole, former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the BJP decided to withdraw its nominee considering the tradition of the State Assembly to elect the Speaker unopposed. 

Also read:Uddhav Thackeray-led government wins floor test

On Saturday, the MVA government of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance proved its majority in the State Assembly with 169  out of 288 members voting for the government. The BJP, which has 105 members in the House, staged a walk out before the head count, alleging that the proceedings were illegal and unconstitutional.   

The NCP has 56 members in the House followed by Shiv Sena (54) and Congress (44). Other small parties and independents voted for the government. While four members abstained from voting.

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