Congress leader in Maharashtra Assembly to be elected before November 11: Manikrao Thakre

Congress' leader in the new Maharashtra Legislative Assembly will be chosen before November 11, state Congress president Manikrao Thakre said in Mumbai on Saturday. A three-day special session of the legislature would be convened on November 11.

"If Shiv Sena joins the government, Congress would be the natural claimant for the leader of opposition's post," Thakre said.

"We would work wholeheartedly with whoever is chosen as the Congress legislature party (CLP) leader to revive the party. MLAs would elect the leader and the central leadership would approve the same," he said. Congress will perform the role of a strong opposition party, he said. "Our legislators are experienced, they have handled the administration," he noted.

To a question on Congress's relations with the former ally NCP, which has declared outside support to the minority BJP government, Thakre said it would depend on whether the Sharad Pawar-led party strays from Congress' ideology.