Sena halts independents8217; march

MUMBAI, DEC 2: The ongoing march of some independent legislators towards the Congress on the eve of the winter session of the State Legis...

MUMBAI, DEC 2: The ongoing march of some independent legislators towards the Congress on the eve of the winter session of the State Legislature came to a grinding halt today following an application made by senior Shiv Sena legislator Chandrakant Padwal to Speaker Datta Nalawade.

In his brief letter, Padwal has urged the Speaker to immediately disqualify the seven independent legislators who have allegedly accepted the membership of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee MPCC.

Padwal, a former city mayor, has submitted that the seven 8212; Ramraje Nimbalkar, Ajit Ghorpade, Sunil Kedar, Rajvardhan Kadambande, Dattu Anna Patil, K C Padvi and Rajendra Deshmukh 8212; have accepted the primary membership of the party and as such they should be disqualified for blatant violation of the Anti-Defection Law.

8220;To prove my case I have submitted the membership receipts of these legislators to the Speaker,8221; Padwal told The Indian Express. Citing provisions of the Anti-Defection Law, Padwal said that an independentlegislator has an option to join any party within six months of his election to the assembly. In the present case though the legislators were elected in March 1995, they remained Independent legislators for almost more than three years and now they have joined the Congress. 8220;I feel that their decision is against the principle enshrined in the Anti-Defection Law8221;, he added.

According to a senior Congress leader, six months ago these legislators applied for the membership of the party and subsequently they were given the official receipts. The Congress has taken a view that even though they were made primary members of the party they were not the members of the Congress Legislative Party and as such they do not attract the provisions of the Anti-Defection Law.

According to a senior Shiv Sena Minister, Padwal8217;s move will certainly help the party during the winter session of the State legislature commencing at Nagpur from December 14. Out of the 44 independent legislators, a record number of 26 legislatorswere planning to join the Congress during the winter session mainly to give a jolt to the minority alliance government.

Sometime back last week, the legislators met senior Congress leader Sharad Pawar and discussed ways to topple the alliance government.