MUMBAI, March 25 -- The row over last week's local body elections in Satara continued to simmer, with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis assuring action against errant officials if found guilty. The assurance came amid allegations that the Satara police had manhandled Shiv Sena and NCP ministers during the zilla parishad polls last week. Also, the arrest of two NCP members on polling day, rendering them unable to vote, had prompted deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde to call the incident the "murder of democracy". To ease tensions among the Sena and BJP, two ruling allies, Fadnavis held a late-night meeting with Shinde on Monday. He also met the ministers involved in the Satara incident on Tuesday. In the legislative council on Tuesday, Fadnavis made an oblique reference to deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe's direction to the government to suspend Satara superintendent of police Tushar Doshi. "The presiding officer has no power to step into the executive's shoes, and action on the direction is subject to the factual situation," he said. Fadnavis's statement comes a day after the conflict between the Sena and BJP over the alleged manhandling by the local police of Shiv Sena minister Shambhuraj Desai and NCP minister Makarand Patil during the election. After an uproar in both houses on Monday, Gorhe (Shiv Sena) had ordered the suspension of Doshi and local crime branch officers. Later, BJP MLC Praveen Darekar had questioned the authority of the presiding officer to issue directions to suspend senior IAS and IPS officers. Chairperson of the legislative council, Ram Shinde (BJP) put Gorhe's direction on hold and reserved a ruling in the matter. On Tuesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab urged Ram Shinde and Fadnavis to end the confusion. Fadnavis's oblique reference to Gorhe's order was in reply to Parab's request. He cautioned presiding officers against "crossing their constitutional limits" while giving directions. "The constitution has defined three arms - the judiciary, legislature and executive - and they work independently. The legislature can give directions to the executive and the executive can respect the legislature. But only the government has the authority to execute it. With all due to respect to the chair, I want to say that the legislature or the presiding officers have no power step into the executive's shoes," said Fadnavis. He said Ram Shinde would deliver his ruling regarding the authority of a presiding officer, and on Gorhe's directive. Shinde said he would announce his ruling soon. On Tuesday, Fadnavis met Shinde, Sunetra Pawar, and the two ministers who were allegedly roughed up in Satara....