The second budget session of the Mahayuti government has concluded, but the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly has still not been announced.
On March 5, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) submitted a letter proposing Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav for the position. However, Speaker Rahul Narwekar has yet to make a decision.
Expressing his frustration in the assembly, Jadhav said: “The government has still not appointed the Leader of the Opposition. If the government wants to oppose my name, just say so. I will ask my party chief to propose another name. Despite having a majority, why is the government afraid of appointing a Leader of the Opposition?”
NCP legislator Anna Bansode was, meanwhile, unanimously elected as deputy speaker. In his speech, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made a pointed remark about the Leader of the Opposition post. He said, “The opposition is never satisfied. If they are, they are no longer the opposition. So you should remain dissatisfied.”
“The speaker will decide on the Leader of the Opposition, and we will accept the decision. Until then, let the post remain vacant.”
After the session ended, Jadhav accused the government of an anti-democratic stance. He said that the post of Leader of the Opposition holds great importance in a democracy and should be filled as per the rules.
To qualify for the Leader of the Opposition post, a party must have at least 10% of the total members in the House. However, the opposition’s strength is below this requirement, which is why the position remains vacant. Despite this, the government had assured that it would respect the post and appoint a Leader of the Opposition.
