Shiv Sena stakes claim to opposition leader’s post in legislative council

Sena legislator said that the party has written to deputy chairperson Dr Neelam Gorhe stating that the authority to appoint the leader of opposition and chief whip would be vested with Thackeray alone.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena has staked its claim to the post of leader of opposition in the state legislative council with former transport minister and Uddhav Thackeray confidante Anil Parab as the frontrunner.

Maharashtra Transport Minister and Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab is the frontrunner for the post (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

A Shiv Sena legislator said that the party has written to deputy chairperson Dr Neelam Gorhe stating that the authority to appoint the leader of opposition and chief whip would be vested with Thackeray alone. This is also meant to pre-empt any split in the party’s MLCs by the faction in the party led by chief minister Eknath Shinde.

The legislator said that Parab was the front-runner for the post considering his seniority and experience. Though the name of Sachin Ahir is also doing the rounds, he is a newer entrant to the Sena, having joined it from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 2019 to give Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray a cake-walk from the Worli seat.

Disgruntlement over the dominance of newcomers in the party’s matters and the irony of having three legislators from the Worli constituency—Aaditya and two MLC Sunil Shinde and Ahir, may also work against Ahir.

Sena has 11 members in the council and the support of an independent (Kishore Darade). One seat held by the party is vacant after Thackeray resigned as an MLC while stepping down as the chief minister.

The NCP, which has also secured the position of leader of opposition in the legislative assembly for former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, is said to be eager to get it in the upper house as well since it has experienced hands like former minister Eknath Khadse. The NCP, however, has just 10 MLCs.