Maharashtra political crisis: All eyes now on action by Governor, Speaker

With the political crisis in Maharashtra deepening, the focus has now shifted to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal—who are both well-known political veterans with considerable experience and acumen between them.

Koshyari and Zirwal are now in the limelight as Eknath Shinde, the leader of Shiv Sena rebels, has been sending letters to them both. But a critical question remains: Who will Shinde and the rebels meet first when they return to Mumbai?

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Zirwal, a Nationalist Congress Party veteran, has been the interim Speaker of Maharashtra state Assembly. He is the one who takes a call on important legislative matters, as the post of the Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly has been vacant since February 4, 2021, when Nana Patole resigned.

However, the relationship between the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government and Governor Koshyari has been strained, to put it mildly. In the past two years, since MVA came to power, harsh words have been exchanged between Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Koshyari. The relationship soured ever since Koshyari swore in the ill-fated 80-hour-long government of Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.

With an RSS background, Koshyari is a veteran in Bharatiya Janata Party politics before he assumed the gubernatorial responsibilities. The governor, who turned 80 recently, is also an ex-MLA and ex-MP himself. He has also served as the Chief Minister as well as the Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand. The interim speaker, 63-year-old Zirwal is also a seasoned politician, who is a three-time MLA from Dindori (ST) seat in Nashik district. A veteran tribal leader, Zirwal is said to be close to Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar.