Mumbai, Dec 7 (IANS): About 173 legislators took oath on Saturday, the first day of the three-day special session of the newly constituted 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, former Assembly speaker Dilip Walse-Patil, former ministers Chhagan Bhujbal, Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Hasan Mushrif, the first time legislators Shrijaya Chavan (daughter of former CM Ashok Chavan), Sana Malik (daughter of former minister Nawab Malik, among others took oath. Thereafter the Assembly was adjourned. The House will reassemble at 11 a.m. on Sunday when the remaining legislators will take their oath.

The protem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar presided over the proceedings. He made the announcement of a panel of presiding officers including Chainsukh Sancheti, Jaikumar Rawal, Manikrao Kokate and Ashish Jaiswal. They first took the oath as the members. Most of the legislators took oath in the name of God and Allah, while some including Ajit Pawar solemnly affirmed to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India. Some legislators took oaths in the Sanskrit language.

Before and after the proceedings commenced, the MahaYuti legislators raised slogans like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai, Jai Shriram, and Vande Mataram.

Earlier, a group of BJP legislators entered the Vidhan Bhavan raising slogans like Bharat Mata Ki Jai while the NCP legislators led by party president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar came wearing pink turban. Ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, Ajit Pawar had started wearing a pink jacket and party banners and posters were prominently made using pink colour. Shiv Sena legislators led by Deputy CM and party chief leader Eknath Shinde came wearing a saffron turban.

The MahaYuti legislators led by Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar then garlanded the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue.

Meanwhile, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar slammed the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s move not to take oath on Saturday, saying that they will have to take the oath on Sunday as only after that they will be able to participate in the proceedings on Monday.

MVA legislators walked out of the House shortly after the proceedings began. Later they announced that they did not take oath to protest against the administration’s decision not to allow the mock polling organised by the villagers at Markadwadi from Malshiras constituency in Solapur. Congress leaders Vijay Wadettiwar, Nana Patole, Shiv Sena-UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray and NCP-SP leader Jitendra Awhad also did not take oath to protest against the polling on EVMs.

Ajit Pawar said, “The opposition knows the entire legislative process. However, it was a poor attempt by them to show their existence.” “There is no point blaming EVMs. I have also worked in the Maha Vikas Aghadi. For the Maha Vikas Aghadi, EVMs were good when they won 31 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. But after the Assembly results, they were blaming EVMs.”

NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said, “The Maha Vikas Aghadi legislators will have to take the oath if they have to participate in the House proceedings. I have been a legislator since 1985 but I have not come across such a situation. If they will not take oath in the House, they will have to take it in the Speaker’s chamber.”