Maharashtra: Congress Legislative Party meeting begins

MUMBAI: Amid the political churning in Maharashtra after the split in Nationalist Congress Party(NCP), the Congress Legislative Party meeting began on Tuesday at Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan.

While demanding that the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly will be from Congress, the president of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee Balasaheb Thorat on Tuesday said that Maha Vikas Aghadi(MVA) alliance partners will fight the 2024 Lok Sabha election together.

"Leader of the Opposition will be from the party which has the maximum number of MLAs. We (NCP, Congress and Uddhav Thackeray faction) will fight together against BJP. Congress will get a good number of seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha. MVA is together and the people of the state are with us," Balasaheb Thorat said.

Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said that if Congress wants to appoint their opposition leader, then it would be a valid demand as the party with the maximum number of MLAs gets to appoint the LoP.

"The party which has the maximum number of MLAs can demand the LoP post. As per my information, Congress has the maximum number currently and if they ask for it then it's valid demand," NCP Chief Sharad Pawar said on Monday while speaking to reporters.

Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal along with Dilip Patil, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Mundo, Dharmaraobaba Atram, Aditi Tatkare, Sanjay Bansode and Anil Patil joined Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government on Sunday.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday disqualified nine MLAs including Ajit Pawar, who were sworn in as ministers in the Shinde-Fadnavis government on July 2, for indulging in anti-party activities. The NCP moved a disqualification petition against the nine MLAs to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Ajit Pawar group leader Praful Patel on Monday in a joint conference announced that Lok Sabha MP Sunil Tatkare has been appointed as the new State President of the party in Maharashtra.