- By Abhishek Sheoran
- Sun, 24 Nov 2024 08:35 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
As the results of the Maharashtra Assembly election are out, there will be no Leader of the Opposition, as no party has secured enough seats to claim the position. A party needs at least 10 per cent of the total 288 seats, which amounts to 29 seats, to be eligible for the post. None of the parties in the MVA bloc have crossed this threshold. Uddhav-led Shiv Sena won 21 seats, Congress secured 16, and the NCP (SP) garnered only 10 seats.
This will mark the first time in six decades that the Maharashtra Assembly will not have a Leader of the Opposition.
"So, in the 288-member Maharashtra legislative assembly, only if the opposition party has 28 elected members can nominate the leader of the opposition. According to Saturday's state assembly poll results, since the largest opposition party - Shiv Sena (UBT) - has only 21 members, it cannot stake a claim for the post. Congress, with 16 members, and Sharad Pawar-led NCP, with 10 members, are not even in the zone of consideration,'' TOI quoted former principal secretary (legislature) Anant Kalse as saying.
"The rules and procedures pertaining to the requirement of LoP are quite elaborate in the book, Practice and Procedure of Parliament, by M N Kaul and S L Shakdher. There is no scope for Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) to have a leader of opposition,'' he added.
Also, LoP cannot be nominated by the combined strength of parties in an alliance, hence a party should individually surpass the number.
There was no LoP in the 16th Lok Sabha as well, since no party managed to amass sufficient votes to stake claim to the key position.
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The states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Manipur, Nagaland and Sikkim also don't have anyone in the post because of the lack of opposition parties with at least 10 per cent seats.