Congress secured only 16 seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) 10, and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) 20, leaving the opposition fragmented and without a recognised leader in the Assembly.

For the first time in six decades, Maharashtra will not have a Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state assembly.

Legislative rules mandate that a party must secure at least 10 per cent of the Assembly's 288 seats -- 29 seats -- to qualify for the LoP position. However, the way the mandate has unfolded in Maharashtra,