Shiv Sena Wants Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker’s Post

The Shiv Sena, which has a minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet, said it has sought the post of Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said the demand has been conveyed to its ally Bharatiya Janata Party.

"The party has demanded deputy Speaker's post. We have conveyed our demand to the BJP," Raut told PTI.

Raut said Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and all the eighteen Lok Sabha MPs of the party will visit Ayodhya next week, before the start of the Parliament's session.

The purpose of the visit is to reaffirm the party's commitment to construction of Ram temple at the disputed site, Raut said. The ties between the Sena and the BJP were under considerable strain before the Lok Sabha 2019 elections. The two parties, however, stitched up an alliance for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

Arvind Sawant, a Member of Parliament from the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat, is the lone Sena minister in the Modi government, handling the heavy industries and public enterprises portfolio.