Maharashtra Assembly To Have No Leader Of Opposition For First Time Since 1967 After MVA’s Crushing Defeat

MVA is now grappling with the lack of an official Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the assembly, as no single opposition party has secured the required number of seats to claim the position.  

The results of Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024 gave multiple blows to the Opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Not only did the MVA fail to secure power, but several prominent leaders from the alliance also lost their seats.

Adding to the challenges, the alliance is now grappling with the lack of an official Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the assembly, as no single opposition party has secured the required number of seats to claim the position.  

In order to appoint a Leader of Opposition, a party must secure at least 10 per cent of the total seats of assembly, amounting to 28 seats. However, none of the MVA parties Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), or NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) has reached this threshold. Congress won 16 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) 20 seats, and the NCP (SP) faction only 10 seats, reflecting a dismal performance across the board.  

This marks the first time since 1967 that the Maharashtra Assembly will not have a Leader of Opposition. Back then, the assembly had 270 seats, with the Congress winning a dominant 203. Other parties, including PWP (19 seats), CPI (10), PSP (8), RPI (5), BJS (4), SSP (4), CPM (1), and 16 independents, filled the opposition benches.  

Recent Development In LoP's Role

Over the years, prominent leaders like Manohar Joshi, Narayan Rane, Eknath Khadse, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, and Vijay Wadettiwar have held the position of Leader of Opposition.

After the 2019 assembly elections, the MVA came in the government for the first two and a half years, with Devendra Fadnavis acting as Leader of Opposition. After the Mahayuti government took charge in 2022, Ajit Pawar was appointed as Leader of Opposition by the MVA.

However, after his defection to the Mahayuti government in 2023, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar was chosen for the role on August 3, 2023. This decision followed after the NCP split reduced the Sharad Pawar faction to 12 MLAs, leaving Congress with the largest representation among the MVA parties.  

Now, with none of the MVA parties meeting the 10 per cent seat requirement, the assembly of Maharashtra will be facing an unprecedented scenario of operating without a Leader of Opposition.