Mahayuti's clean sweep leaves Maharashtra Assembly without Leader of Opposition
The recent Maharashtra Assembly elections have caused a major upheaval in the state's politics. The ruling Mahayuti alliance—which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)—was elected decisively on November 23. The BJP bagged 132 seats, Shiv Sena 57, and the NCP 41.
No opposition party meets requirement for LoP nomination
This landslide victory has rendered the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly without a Leader of Opposition (LoP) for the first time in six decades. As per the provisions of the Salaries and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in the State Legislature Act, a party needs to have at least 10% of the total seats (29 seats) to nominate a Leader of Opposition. However, no opposition party qualified.
Opposition parties fall short of seats for LoP nomination
The Shiv Sena (UBT), part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, won a mere 20 seats. The Congress won 16 seats, while Sharad Pawar's NCP could only win 10. Anant Kalse, former principal secretary (legislature), told TOI that "only if the opposition party has 28 elected members can it nominate the leader of opposition." He further stated that "there is no scope for Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP) to have a leader of opposition."
LoP post can only be claimed by individual parties
Despite their combined strength being over the required number, rules state that only individual parties can stake a claim on the LoP post. This is similar to previous cases where the Congress's massive wins left no space for an LoP appointment. Not having an LoP isn't exclusive to Maharashtra; states like Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat also don't have the position due to similar reasons.
Election results seen as setback for Pawar and Thackeray
The election results are viewed as a jolt to Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray after splits in their parties. Eknath Shinde's revolt against Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022 resulted in a split in Shiv Sena, while Ajit Pawar joined the ruling alliance in 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders have called these results "historic." Talks are rife on who will take the CM seat, with both Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde being strong contenders.
