Govt deliberately keeping LoP posts vacant: Opposition

Nagpur: A new confrontation emerged on the eve of the winter session of the state legislature as opposition parties accused the govt of "deliberately and strategically" keeping the Leader of Opposition (LoP) posts vacant in both Houses. The parties boycotted the customary tea meeting hosted by the chief minister, calling it an "insult to constitutional norms".Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said the state never saw a situation where both Houses simultaneously functioned without an LoP. "Even when opposition numbers were low in earlier decades, the post was never kept vacant. Today, the govt is afraid of the opposition — that is why both posts remain empty," he said. Wadettiwar said the absence of an LoP undermined the checks and balances essential for legislative functioning. "The govt wants freedom from questioning. If there is no Leader of Opposition, nobody can hold them accountable for decisions on tenders, allocations, or delays. This is not democratic practice," he said. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav said the very invitation to the tea meeting highlighted the contradiction. "The CM writes to us as head of the House, inviting us to uphold the Legislature's tradition. But the same govt refuses to acknowledge the constitutional post of Leader of Opposition. How can both things be true?" Jadhav said. He mentioned that the opposition formally approached the Legislature Secretariat for clarity on the govt's claim that LoP recognition required 10% numerical strength. "That is completely false. We demanded written clarification and received confirmation that there is no such requirement in the Constitution or Legislature rules. The LoP must be appointed from the largest opposition party," Jadhav said. Jadhav added that the govt's reluctance came from fear of scrutiny. "This govt has brute majority, but also brute allegations — corruption, contract irregularities, internal disputes. An LoP would bring these issues to the floor. That is why they do not want to fill the post," Jadhav said.Council chairperson Ram Shinde said a decision would be taken "at the appropriate time", a response the opposition described as "non-committal". They said keeping both posts vacant was unprecedented in the state's legislative history. Opposition leaders argued that empty LoP positions also weakened legislative debate, especially in a short winter session. "Vidarbha has serious issues — farmers' suicides, crop losses, irrigation backlog. Without an LoP, discussions lose structure," Wadettiwar said. The opposition stated they will press the issue inside the House until the posts are filled. "Democracy cannot run without opposition," Jadhav said.