According to reliable sources, the government has decided to point out strength of individual parties while making the changes in seating arrangement in the Lower House. BJP-Shiv Sena together have 185 MLAs as against 83 of Congress-NCP.
Shiv Sena minister Subhash Desai's insistence on sitting in the front row in the Assembly is going to cost the NCP dearly. The government has decided to give two front-row seats to Shiv Sena ministers at the cost of NCP members.
The move is likely to place the Sharad Pawar-led party in a quandary. It now faces a big question: who would be those two who will occupy the seats in the front row. Until so far, the party had four of its stalwarts – Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse-Patil – sitting in the front row. While Jayant Patil has been made the leader of the House in the Assembly following the demise of R R Patil, former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is the legislature party leader. Walse-Patil is a former speaker, while Bhujbal is a former deputy CM.
According to reliable sources, the government has decided to point out strength of individual parties while making the changes in seating arrangement in the Lower House. BJP-Shiv Sena together have 185 MLAs as against 83 of Congress-NCP.
In the coming week, the government is going to argue with the Opposition that two of the NCP members will be required to vacate their seats for two Sena ministers – veteran Subhash Desai and PWD (MSRDC public undertaking) minister Eknath Shinde.
The Treasury Benches have nine seats in the front row. These have been occupied by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, six BJP ministers and Sena ministers Diwakar Raote Ramdas Kadam. Subhash Desai, a senior in the Sena hierarchy, had insisted that he be made to sit in the front row, and the government appears to have given in to his demand.
As per the current arrangement, senior-most legislator Ganpatrao Kadam, who is from the Peasants and Workers Party and represents Sangola constituency, occupies the seat after the Treasury Bench on the first row. Next to him are seats occupied four NCP leaders.
Sources said the minister for parliamentary affairs Girish Bapat had asked principal secretary Anant Kalase to make arrangements for accommodating the Sena ministers. While Kalase pointed out that since Sena has two ministers in the present cabinet who were also ministers before, they were given seats in the front row as per protocol.
However, Bapat made it clear to Kalase that the BJP wanted to accommodate Desai as well as Shinde in the front row. Sources added that the administration would soon be making arrangement to provide seats to Desai and Shinde in the front row by taking two seats from the NCP.
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