After around 40 NCP around 40 NCP MLAs led by Ajit Pawar defected and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena (Shinde) government in the state on Sunday, July 2, 2023, NCP leader Jitendra Awhad was named the leader of the opposition in the state assembly. But Congress has now come ahead with its objection to the new leader of the opposition, as the Congress party is the largest opposition party in the house now. Congress questioned how NCP can appoint LoP when it has been reduced to just 13 MLAs.
Within two hours of Ajit Pawar’s rebellion, following which he resigned from the post of leader of the opposition and took oath as the deputy CM, Sharad Pawar named Jitendra Awhad the state’s leader of the opposition. He has also been appointed as the whip of the NCP legislature party. Anil Patil was the whip earlier. Anil Patil rebelled along with Ajit Pawar and the post of party whip also required reappointment. Jitendra Awhad was appointed to this post as well, along with being named the leader of the opposition.
However, Congress has come ahead to oppose this decision of Sharad Pawar. Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said that the party with most Members of the Legislative Assembly gets to appoint the Leader of the Opposition and it is a formula to which no one can have any objection. He said that it is an accepted formula, hence, Congress doesn’t even have to claim anything.
He said, “Full picture is not clear yet. It would be too early to say anything. But why there is a leader of the opposition from NCP now? Earlier there was the leader of the opposition from NCP because they had a higher number. Today, as we talk now, the picture is not clear. Today Congress has 45 MLAs. Ajit Pawar is claiming that he has 40 MLAs with him. Then the NCP have only 13 MLAs left with them. I think the full picture will become clear in the next two to three days. As the Congress party has the most number of MLAs in the opposition among the three of us, we three parties will come together and fight in the house against this government. The leader of the opposition will be decided at that time. We need not separately claim for the leader of the opposition. This is a fixed formula and I think no one should have any problem with it.”
#WATCH | "Full picture is not yet clear…but why would be an LoP from NCP? Now, Congress has 45 MLAs with them and Ajit Pawar has said that he has 40 MLAs with him, then NCP will have only 13 MLAs left with them": Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe pic.twitter.com/BiqPmKn1TM
— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2023
Earlier Nationalist Congress Party leader Jayant Patil said that Jitendra Awhad’s name has been sent as the chief whip. A letter has been sent on behalf of the NCP to the speaker of the Assembly.
For the past few days, there has been a move to change the post of leader of opposition in the state. There was also a demand that the post should now be given to Shiv Sena (UBT). So after Ajit Pawar resigned from this post, speculations were being made about who would get this post. Ajit Pawar resigned from the post of leader of opposition in the state on Friday. It was then that the NCP apparently sensed that there was going to be a big development in the state.
