Even as the Maharashtra Government’s Cabinet expansion continues to get delayed, the Shiv Sena has written to the Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, reminding him of the pending disqualification case against rebel Sena MLAs and pointing out that appointing any of them as Ministers would be against the letter and spirit of the Constitution.
A letter sent by Subhash Desai, senior leader and general secretary of the Sena, said: “Appointment of ministers and/or offering any remunerative posts to persons against whom disqualification proceedings under the Tenth schedule are pending and who may be disqualified will be against the very letter and spirit of Article 164 (1B) as well as Article 361B. Rewarding persons against whom disqualification proceedings are pending with ministerial berths or remunerative posts would be totally destructive of the constitutional scheme.”
The letter requests Mr. Koshyari to uphold the faith reposed in him by the Constitution and act in due deference to it. The Shiv Sena pointed out that the issue of the rebel MLAs’ disqualification, and also the legality of the decision to appoint Mr. Shinde as Chief Minister, is sub judice before the apex court. The Sena, through this letter, has asked Mr. Koshyari to not take “any precipitative action”.
The new State government’s Cabinet expansion has been delayed for over 11 days now and is likely to be finalised within a day or two. According to sources, the swearing-in ceremony for new Ministers may take place in this week, following the completion of discussions on the distribution of portfolios between the rebel MLAs and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
