Rahul Narwekar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rahul Narwekar

• Rahul Narwekar is an Indian politician and advocate who is known for being a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and is the current speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

• He started his political career as a Shiv Sena party worker and later became the spokesperson of the youth wing of the party. In 2014, when he was denied a ticket for the 2014 Lok Sabha election after which he left the party.

• He then joined Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 2014 and contested the election from the Maval constituency but failed to win the Lok Sabha elections and lost to Shrirang Appa Barne of the Shiv Sena.

• In 2019, he switched his party and joined BJP as an MLA from Colaba constituency.

• In 2022, when the Mumbai political crisis was going on, deputy speaker Narhari Zirwala was sent a notice for the no-confidence motion. When the discussion about the issue was questioned in the court, Rahul talked about it and said,
  

  The notice issued against the deputy Speaker was not tabled in the last winter session. Therefore, the notice must have lapsed is what I assume after the end of the session.”

• In March 2023, Congress members demanded the suspension of those members from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena, who hit a poster of Rahul Gandhi with footwear. Rahul talked about the issue in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and said that he would issue a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and code of conduct for the members in respect of references to the Prime Minister, Chief Minister and national leaders.

• On 3 July 2022, when he became the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, he was elected with 164 votes whereas the Shiv Sena candidate Rajan Salvi received 107 votes. Rahul became the second-youngest (age 44) person to be elected as the speaker of any state in the country while the youngest being Shivraj Patil (age 42).

• In March 2023, he ordered an enquiry into the statement made by Shiv Sena [UBT] MP Sanjay Raut and ordered to conduct a probe against him. Raut called the legislature ‘Chor Mandal’ [body of thieves]. This issue came to the limelight when BJP leader Ashish Shelar talked about it after the end of the Lower House. He said that calling lawmakers thieves is an insult to the state.

• On 11 May 2023, the Supreme Court ordered that Rahul should decide the disqualification of 16 MLAs including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde demanded by Uddhav Thackeray. After the verdict of the Supreme Court, Rahul talked about it and said,
  

  The Supreme Court has said that the Speaker will decide on the disqualification of 16 MLAs. There was no clarity (earlier) whether a political party or legislature party can decide on the Whip. Now that the honourable SC has given a clear interpretation, we will accordingly decide.”