Mahayuti 'tsunami' might leave Maharashtra Assembly without LoP
The crushing defeat of MVA may leave the Assembly with no Leader of Opposition as no party outside the ruling alliance seems to be in a position to secure the minimum 29 seats required for it
The Mahayuti landslide in Maharashtra may well leave the Maharashtra Assembly without a Leader of Opposition, as no party outside the ruling alliance has secured the mandatory minimum of 29 seats needed for it.
A party with 10 per cent of the 288 seats or 29 seats can claim the post. However, all three MVA constituents are at the moment falling short of the mark, as per the legislative rules.
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As per data made available on the Election Commission website, the Shiv Sena (UBT), part of the opposition MVA, had won 17 seats and was leading on three. The Congress had won 10 seats and was leading on five, while Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) won eight seats and was leading on two.
Even though the Opposition alliance will achieve the required number if all their winning seats were added but the combined strength of parties is not considered for the post of the Leader of Opposition, as per the rules.
This will probably be the first time since the first Assembly came into existence in the state in 1960 that there will be no Leader of Opposition.
Also read: Maharashtra | Mayahuti's huge win marks longest non-Congress in office
Results for 220 of the 288 Maharashtra Assembly seats had been declared till 7 pm.
As per the EC website, the BJP had won 95 seats and was leading on 38, while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena emerged victorious on 44 and was leading on 13. The third constituent of the Mahayuti, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, won 35 seats and was leading on six.
(With agency inputs)
