Tuesday, July 5 2005 18:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Expelled leader Narayan Rane had no authority to appoint the new whip of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra assembly, said senior party leader Subhash Desai in Mumbai today (July 5, 2005).

"Appointment of party MLA Gajanan Kirtikar on November 4, 2004 (as chief whip) is valid and the same was pointed out to Speaker Babasaheb Kupekar here today," Desai told reporters after a meeting with the Speaker.

Desai said he handed over two letters signed by Sena chief Bal Thackeray to Kupekar.

The first letter urged the Speaker to take note of Rane's expulsion from the party, while the second letter stated that Kirtikar was appointed as Chief Whip of Sena on Nov 4, 2004, Desai added.

Annoyed by Rane's decision to appoint Vinayak Nimham as the new whip of the party, top Sena leaders met Kupekar at Vidhan Bhavan to lodge their protest.

Besides Desai, who is the senior most leader of Sena and spokesman of the party, MLA Datta Nalawade and Sena leader in state Legislative Council Diwakar Raote called on the Speaker at his chambers in Vidhan Bhavan, official sources said.

Rane had yesterday (July 4, 2005) appointed his supporter Nimhan, a Sena MLA from Shivaji Nagar in Pune, as the new whip replacing Gajanan Kirtikar, creating a flutter in political circles.