Congress has maximum seats in opposition benches, will decide on LoP in Lok Sabha: Sharad Pawar

Pawar said that the post of Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha is unlikely to go to the Opposition parties.

Mumbai: The Congress would take a final call on who would be the new Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha as they have the maximum number of seats in opposition benches, NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar said on Thursday.

“Prior to the Lok Sabha session starting from June 24, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc partners will have a meeting and finalise the name for the post of the Leader of the Opposition. We shall endorse the decision,” said Pawar, a former Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Pawar, a former four-time Maharashtra Chief Minister and ex-three term union minister, said that the post of Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha is unlikely to go to the Opposition parties.

"Last time, PM Narendra Modi did not honour the promise to give the Deputy Speaker post to the Opposition, though we shall discuss it this time. I doubt if it will happen as Modi does not agree to this,” said Pawar.

The veteran politician also said that the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi is well placed to win the Vidhan Sabha polls.

"In the Lok Sabha elections, the MVA allies bagged 31 seats of the total 48 seats. If we calculate the six assembly segments that make up these parliamentary constituencies, then we have secured leads/wins in 155-plus assembly seats,” he said about the forthcoming polls to the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.