The state Congress Party is still waiting on communication from the Speaker on who or if there will be an official Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.
Typically, an opposition party has to have one-sixth of the numbers in the legislature to be designated the official opposition. However, the Congress and Trinamool Congress have one-twelfth of the seats each.
Making it clear that appointing an LO is the prerogative of the Speaker, Congress Legislature Party leader and Mylliem MLA Ronnie V Lyngdoh said, “Maybe he is seeking advice from legal and constitutional experts”.
Stating if they had one-sixth of the seats then there would not be a problem, he added, “But there is no such rule that mandates this number. There has been precedent before where the late Donkupar Roy was made LO when the UDP did not have the numbers.”
He also informed that the Congress will write and remind the Speaker once again on the issue.
The CLP leader said, “In a democracy we have the ruling and the opposition and if an LO post is there it will be wise that we have an LO so that if there is anything to do with the opposition the government will know who to deal with”.
