In 1978 too Pawar led PULOD had 5 ministers
   Date :11-Dec-2019
In 1978 too Pawar led PUL
 
By Vikas Vaidya :
 
It is not for the first time that Maharashtra is going for full-fledged session of State legislature with Chief Minister and his six colleagues. It was in 1978 when PULOD Government led by Sharad Pawar too had five ministers. It also faced the session in Mumbai that ran for nine days. There is one factor common in both incidents -- Sharad Pawar. Pawar snatched the power from late Vasantdada Patil then. Now also Pawar is instrumental in the formation of Mahavikas Aaghadi with Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party that prevented Bharatiya Janata Party from forming Government. In 1978, Sharad Pawar allegedly ditched Vasantdada Patil with the later resigning on July 17.
 
On July 18, Pawar-led PULOD front came to power and it took oath of office. Pawar and his five colleagues were sworn in. The State Legislature session began on July 20 and concluded on July 29. Uddhav Thackeray led Government has yet not distributed portfolios. It will be going for the session without a single minister given any department. There are 97 members who will be total new with 24 are women. They will be having opportunity to speak in House for the first time. The reason of then Pawar Government was different. But people in general have expressed surprise over the non-allotment of portfolios after the passage of one month of declaration of results of State Assembly elections.
 
BJP with most women members This legislature has 24 women members with highest number is in BJP. BJP has 12 women members while Congress has five, NCP has 3, Shiv Sena has 2 and Independent 2. Four women members are of Vidarbha. They include Yashomati Thakur, Sulabha Sanjay Khodke, Pratima Suresh Dhanorkar and Shweta Vidyadhar Mahale. In 1937, there were only seven women members, in 1946, the number was 9 while in 1978 the number of women members was 8. 
 
Will new members take benefit of library B B Waghmare, the chief librarian of Vidhan Bhavan Granthalaya is termed as encyclopedia. He knows several references by heart. It is he who digitalised most of the matter. He has developed Debates Information System (DIS) and Newspaper Clippings Information Systems. According to him these 97 new members have good opportunity to learn on how to speak in House. Those who update their knowledge by proper utilisation of library can stand tall in the House. They should avail the opportunity, pointed out Waghmare.
 
Who will speak on Call Attention?
Though the question-answer session is not being held in the Winter Session beginning on Monday, December 16, the Call attention and other issues are supposed to be addressed by the ministers. Since the portfolios are not allotted who would speak in the House on the issues is a million dollar question. The movement about distributing portfolios has begun with Urban Development is to be kept by Chief Minister and Home to be given to NCP. But nothing concrete has taken place. In fact according to highly placed sources there are very poor chances of portfolio distribution held before the session. The election of Deputy Speaker and Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council is also pending. Winter Session at Nagpur will have to do many things.