MVA chooses Congress to fill Leader of the Opposition post in Maharashtra

The Maha Vikas Aghadi partners - Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP seem to have agreed that the Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly should be from Congress because of the numbers that it commands.

As far as the MVA’s strength in the Opposition benches, the Congress leads the tally with 45 MLAs followed by 16 of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and around a dozen from the NCP’s Sharad Pawar-Supriya Sule-group.

The Opposition benches also include Samajwadi Party (2), All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (2), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (1), Peasants and Workers Party (1) and others/independents.

Also Read: Is BJP on a weak wicket in Maharashtra?

The monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislature commences next Monday - and it is during this period the Opposition would approach Speaker Rahul Narwekar.

The Leader of the Opposition in Council is Ambadas Danve of the Shiv Sena (UBT).

It may be mentioned after Ajit Pawar, who was Leader of the Opposition in Assembly, rebelled against Pawar and became the Deputy Chief Minister, the NCP appointed three-time MLA Dr Jitendra Awhad in his place.

However, Narwekar made it clear that it is he who would take a call.

When the Congress delegation from Maharashtra visited New Delhi and met party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, the issue of Leader of the Opposition was discussed.

The leadership of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP has agreed that the Leader of the Opposition in Assembly should be from the Congress.

Also Read: Amid BJP's attempts to weaken MVA, Congress asks Maharashtra leaders to 'wait and watch' on LoP issue

"After the NCP-related developments, the numbers are in favour of the Congress to claim the post of Leader of the Opposition in Assembly,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.

“The numbers are now clear, the Congress has more numbers,” added state NCP President Jayant Patil.

“The three parties and their supporting parties would sit together and decide which party would get the post of Leader of the Opposition and who should occupy the post. By numbers, it is clearly the Congress,” a senior MVA leader told DH on Wednesday.

The Congress seems to be going slow on it - and would wait for the expansion of Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar government and allocation of portfolios.

If one looks at Congress - there are several who fit the bill for the job - state Congress President Nana Patole, Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat, former chief ministers Prithviraj Chavan and Ashok Chavan, state Working President Naseem Khan, Vijay Wadettiwar, Yashomati Thakur, Nitin Raut and Sunil Kedar.

Wadettiwar had been Leader of the Opposition briefly in 2019 when Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil resigned from the post to join BJP.