Congress Eyes Leader of Opposition Post in Maharashtra Legislative Council
In a big move for Maharashtra politics, the Congress party is pushing hard for the Leader of Opposition (LoP) spot in the state’s Legislative Council. This comes as the opposition alliance gears up for upcoming challenges, including local body elections.
On Monday, a key Congress team led by Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar, along with former Minister Balasaheb Thorat and Deputy Leader Amin Patel, sat down with Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray. They talked about several hot topics: the fast-approaching local body polls, empty LoP positions in both the Legislative Assembly and Council, and even future political strategies to strengthen their alliance.
Wadettiwar explained the situation clearly. "Yes, Congress now has the most legislators in the Council, but we believe it’s crucial to sort out the LoP issue within our Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance first. That’s why we met Uddhav-ji," he said. The team plans to follow up with a meeting to NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar, their other key ally.
After chatting with Thackeray, the Congress leaders headed straight to Legislative Council Chairperson Ram Shinde. They urged quick action to fill the vacant LoP post in the Council. Sources close to the matter reveal that the party is strongly backing senior legislator Satej Patil for the role. Patil, a veteran Congress leader and former Maharashtra Minister, stands out as a top choice.
The position has stayed empty since last month, when former LoP and Shiv Sena-UBT leader Ambadas Danve finished his term. But it’s not just the Council— the LoP spot in the Legislative Assembly is also up for grabs. Wadettiwar made it clear: "We need to fill both these vital roles soon. Our next steps include meetings with Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis."
Inside the MVA opposition bloc, things have been buzzing. Sources say Shiv Sena-UBT has nominated former Minister Bhaskar Jadhav for the Assembly’s LoP post, but Speaker Narwekar hasn’t approved it yet. Earlier talks floated an idea to swap positions—giving Shiv Sena-UBT the LoP role in the Rajya Sabha while handing the Assembly spot to Congress. However, that plan didn’t gain traction.
As Maharashtra’s political scene heats up ahead of local body elections, the race for these LoP positions could shape the opposition’s strategy against the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story in Maharashtra politics.
