Delegation of senior Congress leaders meets Uddhav Thackeray

Congress leader Vijay Waddettiwar on Monday said the senior leader Satej Patil’s name for the LoP position in the Maharashtra Legislative Council has also been considered, however, the decision lies with the high command.

This announcement comes after the delegation of senior Congress leaders met Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray to discuss about the Leader of Opposition (LoP) position.

“We discussed the key positions and several issues related to the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra. The LoP position matter will also be discussed with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,” said Mr. Wadettiwar after the meeting. The Congress leaders also met Maharashtra Legislative Council chairperson Ram Shinde.

The talks have come after the LoP position in the Legislative Council was lyingvacant after the end of Shiv Sena leader Ambadas Danve’s tenure. Currently, Congress holds an advantage as it has eight MLAs, whereas Shiv Sena (UBT) has six MLAs and NCP-SP has two MLAs.

With numbers in hand, Congress has initiated discussions with the LoP position with Mr. Thackeray and other leaders from the MVA alliance.

Congress leaders, including Balasaheb Thorat and Amin Patel, also met Mr. Thackeray at his residence, Matoshree, in Mumbai. Meanwhile, the LoP position in the Legislative Assembly is also vacant, with Shiv Sena (UBT) claiming the position; the name of senior leader Bhaskar Jadhav has been discussed.

The LoP position holds immense prominence as it has the perks similar to a cabinet minister. However, for the first time, both positions do not have theopposition leader.