Mumbai : After the Congress “high command” conveyed to Balasaheb Thorat Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader that Vijay Wadettiwar’s name be proposed for the Leader of Opposition (LoP) post, the same was conveyed to the Speaker of the state Assembly on Tuesday (August 1). The same was confirmed by Congress party Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil to The Organiser. Balasaheb Thorat is re-elected as the CLP leader.
“Wadettiwar is a strong political leader, candid in approach, and knows his region Vidarbha well. The party High Command is convinced that Wadettiwar will make a good LoP and therefore we have unanimously chosen him,” said Atul Londhe.
Congress Leader Vijay Wadettiwar to be named as LOP in Maharashtra assembly, Congress High Command has conveyed to CLP Leader Balasaheb Thorat that Wadettiwar's name be proposed for LOP post: Maharashtra Congress
(File pic) pic.twitter.com/HUSqPcxFW6
— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2023
#WATCH | Mumbai: Congress names Vijay Wadettiwar as Maharashtra leader of opposition. Congress leaders met Maharashtra Legislative Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar and gave letter pic.twitter.com/50H4aASPDj
— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2023
Only a week ago, commenting on the buzz that this time there will be a relatively newer face as LoP such as Yashomati Thakur or Vijay Namdevrao Wadettiwar, and not popular powerful names like Prithviraj Chavan, Ashok Chavan Chavan, or Balasaheb Thorat, etc, Londhe said that they have not zeroed in on a name yet. “We have a settled procedure in the party to choose the LoP and there is no internal competition or struggle for the post. Everyone’s say will be taken into account.”
A source close to the state’s Congress leaders tells that the choice of Wadettiwar is done with the Congress party’s sights set on the Vidarbha region that sends 62 MLAs to the state legislature. It is well known that any party that crosses the 40 MLAs mark from Vidarbha stands a strong chance to make the government in Maharashtra.
Another source mentioned that with Wadettiwar having been with the BJP earlier, he knows their political working style well and may help Congress give a direct fight to the BJP in Vidarbha. The contests are mostly triangular or quadrilateral in most other parts of the state but in Vidarbha, the two parties that lock horns in a direct fight are the BJP and the Congress party.
Atul Londhe, the chief spokesperson of the Congress party refused to elaborate any further but claimed that in the next assembly election, his party is winning the majority to come back to power.
When asked why there was so much delay in electing the LoP as the monsoon session of the state legislature has already been underway, Londhe said, “Why don’t you question the BJP about why 13 portfolios still remain to be allotted even one year after they formed the government. Also, (BJP leader and Deputy chief minister) Devendra Fadnavis holds guardianship of 6 districts instead of delegating the same to a deserving candidate. What about that?”
#WATCH | "Farmers are upset, unemployed youth are upset, there is loot going on in Maharashtra, we will fight against all these…": Vijay Wadettiwar, Congress leader pic.twitter.com/3In5w1alCv
— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2023
महाराष्ट्र राज्य विधानसभा विरोधी पक्षनेता नियुक्तीबाबतचे पत्र आज विधानसभा अध्यक्ष राहुलजी नार्वेकर यांना काँग्रेस पक्षाच्या वतीने सोपविण्यात आले.
यावेळी पक्षाचे ज्येष्ठ नेते मा. बाळासाहेब थोरात, माजी मुख्यमंत्री मा.श्री.अशोक चव्हाण साहेब, मुंबई काँग्रेस कमिटी अध्यक्षा सौ.… pic.twitter.com/c5xzFK6tVq
— Vijay Wadettiwar (@VijayWadettiwar) August 1, 2023
Without a doubt, the post of the Leader of the Opposition is an extremely important one. It helps the Opposition grill the government on various key issues – whether pertaining to the Assembly or matters of importance that unfold in the state or elsewhere.
More about Congress LoP Vijay Wadettiwar
Born in 1962 in Karanji village in GodPimpri taluka of Chandrapur district of Vidarbha, Wadettiwar entered politics as an NSUI student leader in 1980-81. But in his later years, he moved over and joined the Shiv Sena. During the 1991-1993 joint BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra, Wadettiwar was the Forests and Tribal welfare minister. From 2004-2006, he was the Member of Legislative Assembly Maharashtra (MLA) from Chimur constituency for Shivsena.
In 2005 he walked out of the Shiv Sena when former chief minister and Shiv Sena leader Narayan Rane rebelled and joined the Congress. In the 2006-2009 period, Wadettiwar was the MLA from Chimur constituency for Congress, elected in the by-election after he left the Shiv Sena.
When the Congress party in Maharashtra was voted out in 2014, Wadettiwar stayed on with the Congress. In fact, he won the Bramhapuri assembly seat for the Congress by bucking a trend of the place being a BJP or independent stronghold for 34 years.
He is seen as a fearless orator and takes on opponents rather strongly. By choosing Wadettiwar, Congress has sent a clear signal to its stronghold the Vidarbha region just a few months prior to the next assembly polls. Vidarbha is a priority and Vidarbha is the key.
