The Congress in Maharashtra will convene a key meeting of its legislators on Tuesday in the wake of new political developments which saw NCP leader Ajit Pawar breaking the party to join the Eknath Shinde cabinet.
The Congress MLAs are likely to discuss claiming the post of Leader of Opposition since the party has the most number of MLAs in the House after the crisis in NCP. All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary HK Patil will attend the meeting.
"The Congress has convened a meeting of its legislators where deliberations are likely to be held on staking a claim to the position of the Leader of Opposition (LoP)," Congress legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat told reporters on Monday.
Though the NCP has appointed MLA Jitendra Awhad as the LoP, party president Sharad Pawar has said that the Congress, a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, was justified in claiming the post of LoP. The post fell vacant after Ajit Pawar resigned on Friday.
The Congress too said the NCP can now only appoint their group leader in the Legislative Assembly. In the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the Congress has 45 MLAs, while the NCP has 53 legislators.
Ajit Pawar is likely to attend his first Cabinet meeting as Deputy Chief Minister on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions of the NCP will hold their meetings in Yashwantrao Chavan Centre in south Mumbai and at Bhujbal Knowledge City in suburban Bandra, respectively, on Wednesday.
NCP national president Sharad Pawar has called a meeting at 1 pm while the Ajit Pawar faction will meet at 11 am, functionaries from both sides said.
This will be the first meeting since the party split and both factions have claimed the maximum number of MLAs are with them.
Praful Patel on Cabinet post in Delhi
NCP leader Praful Patel, who switched sides to the NDA, has quashed rumours of his joining the Union Ministry in Delhi, stating the party hasn't discussed anything about Delhi but is focusing on the state government. "We have not discussed anything about Delhi, we have only discussed the formation of our government in Maharashtra," Patel, who was NCP's working president, said.
Sharad Pawar had sacked Praful Patel for engaging in "anti-party activities. Patel, on his part, had requested Sharad Pawar's blessings and he was their 'guru.'
