Sena (UBT) may stake claim to assembly LoP

The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress are likely to stake their claim to the posts of leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra legislative assembly and council, respectively, although an official announcement is yet to be made by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on reaching a consensus, people aware of the matter said, indicating the road ahead might not be a simple one for Opposition alliance partners.

- Faisal Malik and Saurabha Kulshrestha

MUMBAI:

The Shiv Sena (UBT), the largest partner in MVA, has 20 legislators in the 288-strong assembly and seven members in the 78-strong Upper House of the state legislature. Its ally Congress has 16 MLAs and eight MLCs.

Even if a consensus is reached among the allies, people familiar with the matter said, the ruling Mahayuti—an alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP—might stonewall the Sena (UBT) by insisting on requirement of "10% seats" for the LoP—a grey area in state assemblies.