Maharashtra Opposition Boycotts Tea Party Over Leader of Opposition Appointment Dispute

Mumbai:

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition has decided to boycott the Maharashtra government's traditional tea party on the eve of the winter assembly session. This decision comes in protest of the government's failure to appoint Leaders of Opposition in both Houses of the state legislature.

Senior Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar expressed concern over this break from tradition, stating, "The practice of naming the Leader of Opposition has been respected since Independence, but today both positions remain unfilled. This shows the government's disregard for India's Constitution."

Bhaskar Jadhav, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA and the alliance's nominee for the position, claimed that the government was deliberately delaying the appointment. "They know that once a Leader of Opposition is installed, many governmental improprieties will be exposed," Jadhav asserted.

In response, BJP MLA and Mumbai unit chief Ameet Satam defended the government's position, saying, "The Opposition simply lacks the numerical strength required for the Leader of Opposition post, which explains why it remains vacant."

The MVA meeting, which included representatives from Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP, outlined their strategy for the upcoming session. Agricultural distress will be a central focus, with the opposition planning to highlight farmer loan waiver promises and the state's management of crop losses caused by excessive rainfall.

Wadettiwar cited alarming statistics from the NCRB: "Maharashtra represents 38 percent of all farmer suicides in India since 2014, with 2,706 farmers taking their lives in 2024, and already 1,186 deaths in the first eight months of 2025."

Following exceptional rainfall across central Maharashtra before Diwali, the Opposition had urged the state to declare a "wet drought" and request special assistance from the central government. However, they allege this matter was abandoned as local elections approached.

The MVA leaders also raised fresh corruption allegations against the state government. They claim contracts worth Rs 1.09 lakh crore have been awarded to preferred contractors, corruption pervades the Social Justice Department, significant irregularities exist in the medical sector, and the Kolwashi scandal remains unresolved.

Jadhav further alleged that cabinet ministers had essentially become "contractors of their own departments," competing internally to "generate the most revenue."

Earlier, UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray strongly criticized the government for "creating new positions" while ignoring constitutional ones. "If no Leader of Opposition is appointed, this will mark the first time a session proceeds without one. If the Leader of Opposition position remains unfilled, then Deputy Chief Minister roles should also be eliminated as they aren't constitutional positions," Thackeray remarked.