In a major political twist, Maharashtra’s Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar of the Congress, announced on Monday that at least 40 MLAs from the ruling MahaYuti coalition are likely to cross over to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) within the next month.
Speaking to the media, Wadettiwar stated, “The legislators belonging to the MahaYuti constituents – the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party – are ‘in touch’ with the Congress and the NCP-SP for making a ‘ghar-wapsi’ in the next one month or so.” He highlighted the unrest among these legislators following the Lok Sabha elections, where the MVA triumphed with a total of 31 seats.
“After the LS elections and the subsequent developments, many of their MLAs are in contact with us and they want to come back ahead of the October Assembly elections,” Wadettiwar added.
His statement comes just days after NCP-SP MLA Rohit R. Pawar made a similar claim, suggesting that around 19-20 MLAs from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP are eager to return to the Sharad Pawar faction. Despite these assertions, leaders from both the NCP and Shiv Sena have dismissed the claims, insisting their MLAs remain loyal and attributing the opposition’s remarks to frustration.
The potential shift of 40 MLAs could significantly alter the political landscape in Maharashtra, intensifying the rivalry between the MahaYuti and the MVA as the October Assembly elections approach.