Fadnavis is Leader of Opposition, Cong''s Patole Speaker in Maharashtra

Mumbai, December 1

Maharashtra BJP legislature party leader Devendra Fadnavis was on Sunday named Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly.

Speaker Nana Patole made the announcement in the House.

Patole said that the BJP is being accorded the status of opposition party in the Assembly and Fadnavis would be the new Leader of Opposition.

CM Uddhav Thackeray and some ministers greeted Fadnavis, former CM, after Patole made the announcement.

Nana Patole was on Sunday elected Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly after BJP candidate Kisan Kathore withdrew his nomination earlier in the day. 

Pro-tem speaker Dilip Walse Patil made the announcement in the Assembly after which Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and some senior MLAs escorted Patole, 57, to the Speaker’s chair.

Thackeray and BJP legislature party leader Devendra Fadnavis lauded Patole’s work as legislator and farmers’ leader.

The BJP said it has withdrawn the nomination of Kathore to maintain the state’s tradition of electing the Speaker unanimously.

“I am happy that the son of a farmer has occupied this post,” Thackeray said.

Patole had quit the Congress and won 2014 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket but returned to the party in December 2017 citing differences with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Fadnavis.

Patole succeeds Haribhau Bagade of the BJP who was the Speaker during 2014-2019 when Fadnavis was the CM.

Patole represents Sakoli Assembly segment in Vidarbha, while Kathore is from Murbad in Thane district. This is the fourth term as an MLA for both. PTI