Narhari Sitaram Zirwal represents the Dindori tribal constituency in the Nashik district. Zirwal is considered to be a close friend of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and a politician with an ear to the ground and a good understanding of agricultural and tribal concerns.

He was one of the NCP MLAs who followed Pawar when he crossed sides and joined hands with Devendra Fadnavis to be sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister at the Raj Bhavan early in the morning. He had also been to Delhi with other NCP MLAs but was one of the first to return to the party.

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With rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde causing political turmoil in Maharashtra and the possibility of a Shiv Sena split, the spotlight is on Deputy Assembly Speaker Narhari Zirwal, who may play a critical role in the coming days to possibly save the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government from collapse. The Deputy Speaker has been designated as acting Speaker of the Maharashtra assembly in the Speaker’s absence.

When the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-Shiv Sena alliance government was formed in 2019, Congress’ Nana Patole became Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

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However, when Patole was named as the state Congress chief in 2020, the grand old party forced him to resign.

In the interim, Zirwal can perform the functions of Assembly Speaker, although this is likely to be influenced by the NCP’s larger strategic concerns, such as the possibility of an alliance without Congress.

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Meanwhile, Zirwal said on Thursday, June 23, that he had accepted the appointment of Ajay Choudhary as the Shiv Sena’s group leader in the House, succeeding rebel member Eknath Shinde.

Shinde was ousted as the Shiv Sena’s group leader in the Assembly on Tuesday, only hours after he revolted.