The Congress is preparing to stake claim on the posts of leader of opposition in both the houses of state legislature. While MPCC Chief Nana Patole has said that the party will have its leader as leader of Opposition in the state legislative assembly, the developments in legislative council too have raised the hopes for the party.
The issue of the leader of opposition in Maharashtra Assembly came up after NCP’s Ajit Pawar joined the government to become Deputy Chief Minister in the Eknath Shinde government last Sunday.
Party left with less than 10 MLAs
Though NCP Chief Sharad Pawar immediately nominated Party MLA from Mumbra Jitendra Awhad as the leader of opposition in the assembly, the party appears to be left with less than 10 MLAs in the house. This development has made the Congress, with 45 MLAs, the largest opposition party in the state and hence can get the post of leader of opposition in the lower house of the state legislature.
The same thing has happened with the Shiv Sena (UBT) in the upper house of the state legislature after Dr Neelam Gorhe officially joined the Shiv Sena under CM Eknath Shinde. The Shiv Sena (UBT) that had 10 members in the upper house of the state legislature is left with only 7 now, while the Congress has 8 members and hence can stake claim on the post of leader of opposition in the legislative council also.
However, given the internal power dynamics in the state Congress party, the issue is unlikely to be easy to resolve. While there are at least four leaders who want to be the leader in the state assembly, the council has at least two leaders who would be interested for the post.
Balasaheb Thorat considered to be the strongest candidate for the post
Leader of Congress legislature party Balasaheb Thorat is considered to be the strongest contender for the post in the assembly. However, MPCC Chief Nana Patole, former leader of opposition Vijay Vadettiwar and prominent leader from Vidarbha Yashomati Thakur too are said to be trying for the post. In legislative council, Ashok aka Bhai Jagtap and Satej aka banti Patil are the two contenders for the post.
We shall meet the party leaders at Delhi and sort out the issue, Patole told the FPJ. Meanwhile, Patole said that the BJP is trying to scare Rahul Gandhi through its dirty politics and that his voice is being suppressed due to political hatred.
MPCC staged protests at Thane and Andheri in Mumbai against the Gujarat High Court decision to reject Rahul Gandhi’s plea for absolving him in the defamation case. Congress will appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court. This battle is big and Congress is fighting against dictatorship in the country, Patole said.
