Ahead of Maha cabinet expansion, Uddhav Thackeray nominates Ambadas Danve for post of LoP in Legislative Council

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has not formally resigned from the Maharashtra Legislative Council even after 40 days when he had announced this decision while stepping down as the chief minister.

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Mumbai: A day ahead of the Maharashtra cabinet expansion, former Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray nominated the party MLC, Ambadas Danve, for the post of the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Writing to the chairman of the Legislative Council, Uddhav Thackeray said that the party MLCs had authorised him to nominate a candidate for the post of LoP in a meeting on July 9.  This development comes amid speculations that the Shiv Sena president would resign from the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Uddhav has not formally resigned from the said post even after 40 days when he had announced this decision while stepping down as the chief minister.

Notably, the  Sena nominated party MLC Ambadas Danve hails from Aurangabad, a district which has four rebel Sena MLAs. Last month, a delegation of Shiv Sena MLCs Manisha Kayande, Sachin Ahir, Ambadas Danve, Vilas Potnis and Sunil Shinde met Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe and submitted a letter regarding the LoP and chief whip, according to a PTI report.

As of July 8, the 78-member Maharashtra Legislative Council has 24 members from the BJP, 12 from the Shiv Sena and 10 each from the Congress and the NCP. Lok Bharti, Peasants and Workers Party of India and Rashtriya Samaj Paksh have one member each. There are four Independents, while 15 seats in the Legislative Council are vacant. If Danve becomes the Leader of Opposition, it will be a rare instance of the chief minister and the LoP in the Legislative Council belonging to the same party but different factions.

It may be noted here that there has been no explanation available from Shiv Sena on why Thackeray has not yet formally resigned as an MLC after he announced his decision on the night of June 29. When Uddhav Thackeray took oath as the chief minister in November 2019 after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was formed, he was not a member of the either House of the state legislature. He was elected as MLC on May 18, 2020, with a tenure of six years.

Thackeray announced his resignation as the Maharashtra CM on June 29 night after the Supreme Court refused to stay a floor test necessitated after 39 of the 55 MLAs of Shiv Sena aligned with rebel Eknath Shinde. Shinde took oath as the chief minister on June 30 along with Devendra Fadnavis of the Bharatiya Janata Party, who is Deputy CM.

BJP leaders meet at Fadnavis' residence on eve of cabinet expansion

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Monday assembled at the Mumbai residence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss the names of the probables to be inducted into the state cabinet on Tuesday.

Besides finalising the names of new ministers who will take the oath at Raj Bhavan, the BJP leaders are learnt to have discussed the organisational appointments to be made ahead of crucial civic elections in Mumbai and other cities and the 2024 Lok Saba elections.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday evening said he will expand his 40-day-old ministry on August 9. A dozen ministers will take oath at Tuesday's ceremony at Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai at 11 am, an aide of Shinde had told PTI on condition of anonymity. Currently, Shinde and Fadnavis are the only two ministers in the 40-day-old government.

(With PTI Inputs)