BJP wins trust vote in Maharashtra, NCP helps

Shiv Sena’s Eknath Khadse will be the Leader of Opposition.Reports said the Speaker had decided not to go in for a division of votes, which could prove to be a controversial result if the opposition parties raised it.

Earlier in the day, BJP government won the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker's post unchallenged following the withdrawal of Shiv Sena and Congress candidates.

Haribhau Bagade of is the new Maharashtra Assembly Speaker.Bagde's name was announced by Protem Speaker Jiva Pandu Gavit in the newly-constituted Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Bagde, the MLA from Phulambhari in Aurangabad district, was escorted to the Speaker's chair by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP leader Ajit Pawar, Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and senior most legislator Ganpatrao Deshmukh of PWP.

Fadnavis thanked all the parties for facilitating unanimous election of the Speaker in keeping with the highest traditions of the Lower House.Maharashtra trust vote: Shiv Sena says will not vote in favour of BJP

He described Bagde as a grass root worker and agriculturalist who held several important posts in the BJP as well as the Sena-BJP government in 1995.

Sena leader Eknath Shinde said the party decided to withdraw its candidate after the Chief Minister spoke to party chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Earlier, Congress candidate Varsha Gaikwad also withdrew her nomination for the Speaker's post after former ally NCP declined to support her.

Now, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has to win the floor test and prove majority for his party to remain in power.

Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam on Wednesday said that the party will be voting against Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

"Uddhav Thackeray has decided that we will sit in the opposition. We have being trying our best to sort things out from the past month, but the BJP is not ready to change. Will vote against them in the trust vote," said Kadam.

Read: Maharashtra trust vote: Floor test for Devendra Fadnavis, ‘support us or abstain’ is BJP’s appeal

"Until things are decided in Maharashtra, no one from the Shiv Sena will go to Delhi and we will sit in opposition from today itself," he added.

On the very first day, the Shiv Sena had given clear indications of its aggressive political stance with its newly elected MLAs criticizing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Minister Eknath Khadse outside the Vidhan Bhavan for his decision to permit the use of the Urdu language in Marathi-centric schools.

This session is considered to be crucial for Fadnavis, as the current picture about support being extended to his government from outside is still not clear.One time BJP ally Shiv Sena is changing its stance from time to time.

The BJP and Shiv Sena snapped their 25-year alliance in September ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls over a seat-sharing disagreement. Shiv Sena slams BJP over NCP support, likens Pawar's party to mouse

At the moment, the BJP is 22 short of the halfway mark in the Maharashtra Assembly.Following the polls, the BJP had emerged as the single largest party with 122 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.

The Shiv Sena finished second with 63 seats. The NCP, which emerged victorious in 41 seats, has offered the BJP 'external support' to form the government in the state.