Rahul Narwekar is an Indian politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the current speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Narwekar was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council in June 2016 as a Governor's Nominated member. He is the second-youngest (age 44) person to be elected speaker of any state in the country, the youngest being Shivraj Patil (age 42).[1][2] In May 2023, he completed a 4-day UK tour speaking at the Ideas for India Conference organised by Bridge India in London,[3] and speaking with students at Cambridge University. His tour attracted media attention[4][5][6][7] because of its proximity to the Supreme Court judgement on the disqualification of 16 MLAs of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.[8]
Rahul Narwekar | |
|---|---|
 Rahul Narwekar at the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Bhavan) in Mumbai | |
| 19th Speaker of the House Maharashtra Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 3 July 2022 | |
| Governor | |
| Deputy | Narhari Sitaram Zirwal |
| Chief Minister | Eknath Shinde |
| Preceded by | Narhari Sitaram Zirwal (acting) |
| Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Raj K. Purohit |
| Constituency | Colaba |
| Member of Maharashtra Legislative Council | |
| In office 2014–2019 | |
| Constituency | Nominated by Governor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 February 1977 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party (2019–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Nationalist Congress Party (2014–2019) Shiv Sena (till 2014) |
| Spouse |
Sarojini Naik Nimbalkar
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 1 daughter |
| Education | Bachelor of Commerce Bachelor of Law |
| Occupation | Advocate, Politician |
| Website | rahulnarwekar |
Personal life
editRahul Narwekar is the son-in-law of senior NCP leader Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar. Rahul's father, Suresh Narwekar was a Municipal Councillor from the Colaba area. Rahul's brother Makarand Narwekar is a second-term Municipal Councillor, currently from Ward No. 227.[9][10][11][12][13][14] His sister-in-law Harshita Narwekar is also a Municipal Councillor on a Bhartiya Janata Party ticket from the Cuffe Parade area. [15]
Political career
editNarwekar began his political career with the Shiv Sena party, where he served as a spokesperson for the youth wing. After 15 years with the Shiv Sena, Narwekar left the party in 2014 when he was denied a ticket for the Lok Sabha election.[16] He then joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from the Maval constituency but was unsuccessful. In June 2016, Narwekar was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council as a Governor's Nominated member.[17] In 2019, Narwekar switched to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and successfully contested the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election from the Colaba constituency, winning by over 57,000 votes.[18] On July 3, 2022, Narwekar was elected as the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. At the age of 45, he became the youngest person to be elected as Speaker of any state legislature in India.[19] In May 2023, Narwekar was tasked by the Supreme Court of India with deciding on the disqualification petitions of 34 MLAs from the two factions of Shiv Sena that emerged after the party split in 2022.[20]
| Year | Party | Position/Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2014 |  Shiv Sena |
Spokesperson for youth wing |
| 2014 |  Nationalist Congress Party |
Joined NCP after being denied Lok Sabha ticket by Shiv Sena |
| 2014 | Nationalist Congress Party |
Unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha election from Maval constituency |
| 2016 | Nationalist Congress Party |
Elected to Maharashtra Legislative Council as Governor's Nominated member |
| 2019 | .svg){kind=small} Bharatiya Janata Party |
Joined BJP |
| 2019 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
Elected as MLA from Colaba constituency |
| 2022 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
Elected as Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly |
| 2023 | Bharatiya Janata Party |
Tasked by Supreme Court to decide on disqualification petitions of Shiv Sena MLAs |
References
edit- ^ "Who is Rahul Narwekar, the newly elected Maharashtra assembly speaker?". 3 July 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ The Economic Times (3 July 2022). "BJP's Rahul Narvekar elected Maharashtra Assembly Speaker". Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ India, Bridge. "Bridge India". bridgeindia.org.uk. Bridge India. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to leave on 4-day UK tour". Times of India. Times of India. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "Difficult to set firm timeframe but will try to resolve matters at the earliest: Maha Speaker on SC verdict". deccanherald.com. Deccan Herald. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ ""Difficult To Set Time Frame As...": Maharashtra Speaker After Big Supreme Court Order". NDTV.com. NDTV. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "A day before SC judgement, Narwekar leaves for London saying govt is stable". hindustantimes.com. Hindustan Times.
- ^ Mitra, Anwesha. "Back Maharashtra politics: What happens if 16 Shiv Sena MLAs are really disqualified?". livemint.com. Livemint. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ Rahul Narwekar opts out of MLC poll fray, goes incommunicado
- ^ Shiv Sena leader Rahul Narwekar joins NCP
- ^ Shiv Sena leader Rahul Narwekar joins NCP, to contest from Maval
- ^ Rahul Narwekar says he was victimised by Shiv Sena, defects to NCP
- ^ Shiv Sena leader Rahul Narwekar joins NCP, gets ticket from Maval
- ^ My Neta
- ^ "Independent Corporator Joins BJP In Mumbai". 31 January 2017.
- ^ "Here's all you need to know about Rahul Narvekar, Maharashtra Assembly's newly elected Speaker". The Economic Times. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Who is Rahul Narwekar? BJP Leader Who Became Maharashtra Speaker After Shiv Sena Split". ABP Live. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Who is Rahul Narwekar?". The Indian Express. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Who is Rahul Narwekar, newly elected Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly". India Today. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Supreme Court extends deadline for Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar to decide disqualification pleas against NCP breakaway MLAs to February 15". The Hindu. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.