Maharashtra: Congress confident of getting leader of opposition post

Congress on Saturday expressed confidence that being the largest opposition party in the Maharashtra Assembly, it will get the post of leader of opposition.

"It is as clear as daylight that the new leader of opposition will be from Congress," state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre said in Mumbai.

"I am surprised that NCP, which has fewer MLAs than us, is talking of staking claim to the post," Thakre said, speaking to reporters after meeting the Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao.

"We have the numbers. NCP does not enjoy support of any other legislator contrary to its claim," Thakre said, when asked about NCP leader Ajit Pawar's statement that his party, which has 41 MLAs against Congress's 42, had support of some other legislators too. As the post became vacant after Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde became a minister in the BJP-led cabinet alongwith nine of his partymen, Congress staked claim yesterday by submitting a letter to the Speaker.

Shinde was occupying the post since November 10 when the Sena-BJP alliance was yet to be worked out. NCP too has announced that it will stake claim to the opposition leader's post; however, the Speaker has not received its claim so far, legislature sources said.