The budget session of the Maharashtra Assembly starting from Monday will be the first session in the history of the state in which there will be no Leader of Opposition (LOP) in both the Assembly and the Legislative Council. This situation continues after the 2024 assembly elections, when no opposition party secured the required 10 per cent seats for Leader of Opposition (LOP) recognition. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that this decision is the right of the Assembly Speaker and the Council Chairman. I can’t comment on this.
Opposition raised the issue of democracy crisis
Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) described this situation as a threat to democratic norms. He says the absence of LOP weakens the system of institutional checks and balances, especially when the BJP-led grand alliance government has an effective majority. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut termed it a blot on democracy and said that the constitutional role of opposition parties is being affected. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav also alleged that the government was deliberately undermining democratic processes.
Vacancy and legal status of LoP post
Bhaskar Jadhav had written to the Assembly administration seeking clarity on whether any rule or law exists for the appointment of LOP or not. He received information that there is no specific statutory provision in this regard. He also said that earlier some parties whose numbers were in single digits were given the LOP post, whereas Shiv Sena (UBT) did not get this right despite having 20 MLAs.
status of legislative council
The resignation of Congress MLC Pragnya Satav in the 78-member Legislative Council further complicated the opposition’s position. His resignation took place on 18 December 2025 and after this he joined BJP and supported the government. Due to this, Congress’s strength in the council reduced to seven and claiming the LOP post became impossible. Former Congress state president Nana Patole alleged that inducements and promises of positions were used behind the resignations, which he described as part of the Operation Lotus strategy.