After MVA's demolition, the 15th Maharashtra Assembly may not have LoP

Mumbai: The newly elected 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly may function without the Leader of Opposition (LoP). As per the legislative rules, a party with 10 per cent of the 288 seats or 29 seats can claim the post. Accordingly, either Shiv Sena(UBT) or Congress need to get 29 seats to be eligible for the post. However, the present trends show that the MVA parties may fall short.

As per the latest trends, Shiv Sena(UBT) was leading in 20 seats, Congress in 19 and NCP(SP) in 12 seats. This means neither Shiv Sena(UBT) nor Congress will be in a position to stake claim over the LoP post.

The Leader of Opposition’s post cannot be bagged based on the combined strength of opposition parties, as per the rules. This is probably the first time since the first Assembly came into existence in the state in 1960 that there will be no LoP.

It will be a major embarrassment for the Maha Vikas Aghadi as none of its constituents will be able to get the post. This means that the seat next to the deputy speaker in the front row on the opposition benches will lay vacant in the newly elected state Assembly. During the 14th Assembly, Ajit Pawar was appointed as the LoP after the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed. However, after Ajit Pawar joined the MahaYuti, the Congress legislator Vijay Wadettiwar became the LoP.

It will be similar to the 16th Lok Sabha which did not have a Leader of Opposition.

According to Parliament rules, the biggest Opposition party in the House has to have at least 10 per cent of the total strength of the Lok Sabha, or 55 seats, to be eligible for the post of Leader of Opposition. In the 16th Lok Sabha (June 2014 to February 2019), no party had that number. The Congress with 44 MPs emerged as the largest Opposition party, closely followed by J. Jayalalithaa's AIADMK at 37.

There was no LoP in the Lok Sabha during the Prime Ministerships of Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi, when the Congress enjoyed a brute majority in the Lok Sabha, and the Opposition space had shrunk considerably.