Maharashtra Assembly's Dy Speaker's post to be filled after RTI expose

The post of Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly has not been filled for 28 months now. The post has been vacant since present BJP Government came to power in Maharashtra in October 2014. It's revels in a query filed by RTI Activist Anil Galgali. Appointment to this post with constitutional powers and responsibilities has never been kept in abeyance ever since Legislative Assembly was formed in 1937, It was revealed. After an expose due to an RTI query filed by Anil Galgali, the government has woken from slumber and has decided to fill up the post of Dy Speaker lying vacant from a long time

RTI Activist Anil Galgali sought details about this unprecedented Constitutional vacancy from 'Maharashtra State Legislative Secretariat' . Public Information Officer and Under Secretary of State Legislative Secretariat Subhash Nalawade revealed that the preceeding 12th Maharashtra State Assembly was dissolved on completion of its term on 8th November 2014 & 13th Assembly came in to being on 21st October 2014. Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly does not have Deputy Speaker since that day. Article 178 of Constitution of India says that every Assembly should appoint two of its members as Speaker and Deputy Speaker as soon as possible. Article 180 of the Constitution proclaims that Deputy Speaker will take over duties and responsibilities of the speaker in his absence. 

Since 1937, a total of 22 persons have been elected as Deputy Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly. Narayan Guru Joshi, Shanmugappa Angadi and Shivlingappa Kanthi were the early Deputy Speakers to Bombay State Assembly. From 1956 to 1960 Sheshrao  Wankhede and Deendayal Gupta shouldered this responsibility in Bi-Lingual State of Bombay. After formation of State of Maharashtra- Deendayal Gupta, Krishnarao Girme, Ramkrishna Bet, Syed Farooq Pasha, Shivraj Patil, Gajananrao Garud, Suryakant Dongre, Shankarrao Jagtap, Kamalkishore Kadam, Padmasingh Patil, Babbanrao Dhakne, Anna, Joshi, Moreshwar Tembhurde, Sharad Tasre, Pramod Shende, Madhukarrao Chavan and Prof Vasant Purke have held post of Deputy Speakers till 2014.