The appointment of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra State Assembly now depends on the BJP’s approval. Leaders of Shiv Sena (UBT) plan to discuss the matter with senior BJP figures, including Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Only if they agree will Shiv Sena (UBT) formally submit its application to the Assembly Secretary.
With 20 MLAs, Shiv Sena (UBT) has decided to stake its claim for the LoP position. Over the past two days, leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance have held discussions, but Shiv Sena (UBT) has yet to submit an official request to the assembly secretary. The ruling alliance is still awaiting a formal communication regarding their decision.
After the assembly session, senior MVA leaders—including Congress leader Nana Patole, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Jayant Patil, Jitendra Awhad, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and LoP in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve, and UBT MLC Anil Parab—gathered in Danve’s chamber to deliberate on their strategy for submitting the application.
Meanwhile, UBT leader Bhaskar Jadhav sought clarification from the legislative secretary regarding the rules governing the LoP’s appointment. The secretariat responded that while no specific rules exist, tradition dictates that the decision rests with the assembly speaker.
A senior MVA leader told the media, “Neither Congress nor the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) opposes Shiv Sena (UBT) holding the LoP position, as they have the highest number of MLAs. However, without the BJP’s consent, the appointment cannot move forward. We have already seen a similar situation in the Lok Sabha, where no LoP was appointed from 2019 to 2024. If BJP leaders approve, the path for the LoP’s appointment will be clear; otherwise, there is no point in moving the application forward and risking future embarrassment.”
UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray has shortlisted Bhaskar Jadhav, Sunil Prabhu, and Aaditya Thackeray for the LoP post, but no final decision has been made.
Meanwhile, Congress MLC Satej Patil has publicly stated that his party could stake its claim for the LoP post in the Legislative Council after Ambadas Danve’s tenure ends. Congress currently has more members than UBT in the Legislative Council. Danve’s tenure as an MLC will end in August this year.
