As Maharashtra’s Budget Session gets underway on February 23, the state legislature is entering uncharted territory for the first time in its history, both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council will function simultaneously without a Leader of the Opposition (LoP).
Assembly Post Remains in Limbo
The 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly came into existence following the 2024 state elections, with its inaugural session held in December 2024. Convention dictates that the Leader of the Opposition is elected during the first session itself. Yet the Assembly Speaker has kept the process on hold, citing a rule that requires the largest opposition party to hold at least 10 per cent of the total House strength to be eligible for the post.
No opposition party currently clears that threshold. Shiv Sena (UBT), which holds 20 seats in the Assembly, submitted a letter on March 4, 2025, recommending senior MLA Bhaskar Jadhav for the position. That proposal has gathered dust ever since, with the decision now on the verge of completing nearly a full year in limbo.
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi Appears In Bhiwandi Court Over 2014 RSS Defamation Case; Here’s why
Council Faces the Same Void
The situation in the Legislative Council is no different. The term of Ambadas Danve, the Thackeray faction’s leader in the upper house, concluded in August last year, leaving the post vacant. Congress subsequently wrote to Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde during the Winter Session in December 2025, recommending Satej Patil for the role. That communication, too, has gone without any follow-up action.
CM Fadnavis Defers to Constitutional Authorities
When the matter was raised, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made clear that the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition lies within the jurisdiction of the Assembly Speaker and the Legislative Council Chairman, not the government. He stated that the government would abide by whatever decision is reached, and emphasised that it has no objection to the post being filled.