Mumbai: Months after facing a humiliating defeat in the Assembly elections, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is now vying for the position of Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

About The Decision

At a meeting at Matoshree, the residence of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, on Friday, all 20 elected MLAs unanimously backed the party’s decision to stake a claim for the role. The legislators solidified their position by signing a document to formalise their demand. The UBT plans to submit a formal letter to the Secretary of the Assembly on the first day of the budget session, which is set to begin on Monday.

According to sources, key names being considered within the party for the position include Aaditya Thackeray, Bhaskar Jadhav, and Sunil Prabhu. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a significant defeat in the assembly elections, with none of its three major parties securing enough seats to automatically claim the LoP position. However, speculation is rife that the Assembly Speaker has the discretion to grant the position to the opposition.

With the state’s budget session set to begin on March 3, the UBT is expected to formally stake its claim for the post.

'Party MLAs Have Unanimously Supported The Move,' Says Senior Shiv Sena-UBT Leader Ambadas Danve

Commenting on the matter, Ambadas Danve, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council and a senior UBT leader, stated that party MLAs have unanimously supported the move.

“Shiv Sena (UBT) will definitely claim the Leader of Opposition position in the Assembly. Party chief Uddhav Thackeray will soon make an official announcement. In our meeting, our MLAs clearly expressed that the party should assert its claim,” Danve told the media.

When asked whether Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) would support their claim, Danve responded, "This is not a matter of support but of numbers. The party with the highest number of opposition MLAs should get the post. The final decision, however, rests with the Assembly Speaker. Our MLAs have made their stance clear, but Uddhav Thackeray will take the final call."

On whether Aaditya Thackeray, Bhaskar Jadhav, or Sunil Prabhu were frontrunners for the position, Danve dismissed any speculation. “There has been no internal discussion on specific names yet. The final decision lies with our party chief. Since there is still uncertainty regarding the government’s and opposition’s stance on the matter, we haven’t proposed any names so far,” he clarified.

Meanwhile, speaking to The Free Press Journal, Bhaskar Jadhav reaffirmed the party’s long-standing claim to the position. “Our demand has been there from the beginning. The final decision on the name will be taken by the party chief,” he said.