Speaker Narwekar to meet President Droupadi Murmu

Mumbai: Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar will meet President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on Monday to invite her for the centenary celebration of the state legislature and discuss other relevant issues.

Narwekar told PTI that he will be meeting Murmu in the afternoon.

"I will meet the President to extend an invitation for the centenary year celebration of the state legislature and discuss other relevant issues," he said.

On October 30, the Supreme Court directed Narwekar to decide the cross-petitions filed by the rival factions of the Shiv Sena seeking disqualification of each other's MLAs by December 31.

The delay in deciding the disqualification petitions against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena MLAs loyal to him had come under strict scrutiny by the apex court which came down hard on the assembly speaker at a previous hearing, saying the proceedings cannot be reduced to a charade and that he cannot 'defeat' its orders.