Mumbai, Dec 7 (IANS): The election to the post of the Speaker of the newly constituted 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly will be held on Monday.

According to the poll schedule released by the state legislature secretariat, the candidates will have to submit their nominations by 12 p.m. on Sunday.

BJP will continue to hold the Speaker’s post and the party legislator Rahul Narwekar is the front runner. Narwekar was the Speaker of the 14th State Assembly from July 2022.

BJP sources said that Narwekar will file his nominations before 12 p.m. on Sunday.

If the Maha Vikas Aghadi with the strength of 50 legislators decides to field its nominee, the election will be necessitated on Monday. If they decide not to contest the Speaker’s election, then the BJP-led MahaYuti’s nominee will be elected unopposed. A new Speaker will take over on Monday.

However, Narwekar said, “The party will take a decision on a nominee for the Speaker’s election. There are several capable leaders in the BJP. The party has given me a lot without making any demands. If the party decides to give me some responsibility, I will carry it out.”

During the 14th state Assembly, Narwekar as a Speaker had delivered two key judgments after the split in the Shiv Sena and NCP. Narwekar in January this year ruled that the Eknath Shinde faction was the legitimate and “real Shiv Sena”, having the support of the majority of the party’s MLAs. Similarly, Narwekar in February this year held Ajit Pawar’s faction real.

As the three-day special session of the 15th state Assembly started on Saturday, the proceedings were presided over by pro-tem Speaker Kalidas Kolambkar, the 9-term BJP legislator.