After weeks of speculation and delay, the Congress party appointed MLA Vijay Wadettiwar as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Wadettiwar, a prominent OBC face from the Vidarbha region will be replacing the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar . According to sources, the grand old party has proposed his name to the Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar for his appointment as LoP.
Speaking to The Hindu, a senior Congress leader said that the State unit has given a few names from the second-rung leaders, and the high command in Delhi approved the Bramhapuri MLA’s name. The Delhi leadership also informed the State unit that senior leader Balasaheb Thorat will continue as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader.
“We did not seek to exploit the crisis in NCP and remained patient. We allowed the crisis to settle down before taking a call. Today, MPCC chief Nana Patole internally announced that Mr. Wadettiwar’s name was finalised for LoP,” a leader said.
Soon after Mr. Ajit Pawar along with a majority of NCP MLAs joined hands with the ruling dispensation, the Sharad Pawar faction of NCP appointed Jitendra Awhad as LoP.
