Nagpur: When the State Legislature’s Winter Session begins on December 8 in Nagpur, it will open on an unusual note: For the first time in nearly 60 years, Maharashtra will have no Leader of Opposition in either House.
The political arithmetic simply doesn’t add up this year. In the Legislative Assembly, none of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners, Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress or NCP (Sharad Pawar), meet the mandatory 10% seat requirement to claim the post. The 288-member House requires at least 29 MLAs for official recognition as the Opposition. Shiv Sena (UBT), the largest of the three, has only 21 MLAs, followed by Congress with 16 and the NCP (SP) with 10.
Gold Rate
24 Oct 2025
Despite this, Uddhav Thackeray has pushed for Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav to be appointed Leader of Opposition, arguing that the post must go to the largest opposition party. His recommendation, however, remains stuck in limbo.
A similar stalemate grips the Legislative Council. The five-year tenure of Ambadas Danve as LoP ended in August 2025, but the MVA partners have failed to agree on a successor. Congress and NCP (SP) insist the Council post should not automatically go to Sena (UBT), especially since the party already staked claim in the Assembly. A senior Congress leader privately noted that “both Houses cannot be handed to one party,” reflecting the simmering but silent tussle within the alliance.
With no consensus in sight, the Winter Session is set to begin with empty Opposition chairs, a rarity in Maharashtra’s political history and a telling sign of the deepening fractures within the MVA.
