Cong-NCP tiff may delay Maharashtra assembly session

The wrangling between the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party over portfolio allocation may lead to a delay in convening of the maiden session of the 12th Maharashtra assembly.

The three-day session, where legislators in the 288-member House would be sworn in and a Speaker elected, is scheduled to begin from November 3. However, in the absence of swearing-in of the new ministry, after which a cabinet meeting approves a resolution asking the governor to constitute the new House, the first meeting of the assembly may be delayed, said Vidhan Bhavan sources.

In the event the swearing-in of the chief minister and his team members gets delayed, the first meeting may be held from November 3.

"This is because time is needed after the cabinet resolution and notification by the governor, to inform members and make necessary arrangements," the sources said.

The tenure of the current House is till November 3. The 12th Vidhan Sabha came into being on October 25. As a result, two Houses exist in the state right now, the sources said. The results of the assembly elections were declared on October 22.