In order to be eligible to hold the office of Leader of the Opposition, the Opposition party must hold 10% of the legislative assembly's total strength.
The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance recorded a resounding victory. The NCP, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, won 41 seats, the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, got 57 seats, while the BJP bagged 132 seats. There are 288 assembly seats in the state.
Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) won 21 seats, Congress 16 and Sharad Pawar's NCP could grab only 10.
As per the rules, any Opposition party must have 10 per cent of the total strength of the assembly to claim the post of the LOP. In this scenario, a party with 10 per cent of the 288 seats or 28-29 seats can claim the post. However, all of the MVA parties are falling short of the mark.
According to Saturday's state assembly poll results, since the largest Opposition party - Shiv Sena (UBT) - has only 21 members, it cannot stake a claim for the post. The Congress, with 16 members, and Sharad Pawar-led NCP, with 10 members, are not even in the zone of consideration.