Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi
Credit: PTI Photo
Ranchi: Jharkhand Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato on Friday recognised BJP legislator Babulal Marandi as the leader of the opposition in the assembly of the state ruled by a JMM-led coalition.
There was no leader of the opposition in the state where the last assembly election was held in November 2024.
Dhanwar MLA Babulal Marandi, a former chief minister, was elected as the BJP's legislative party leader at a meeting on Thursday, the party informed the Speaker in a letter.
Mahato said that he was requested to recognise Marandi, also the party's state president, as the leader of the opposition.
"I, without any delay, recognise BJP as the main opposition party and Babulal Marandi as the Leader of Opposition in the House," Mahato said in the assembly.
During a meeting here Thursday, Marandi, also the party's state president, was unanimously chosen as the BJP legislative party leader.
The BJP parliamentary board on Wednesday announced two central observers -- Union minister Bhupendra Yadav and the party's OBC Morcha national president K Laxman -- for the election of the leader of the BJP legislative party in the Jharkhand Assembly.
Senior MLAs Naveen Jaiswal, Neera Yadav, Raj Sinha and Prakash Ram had proposed the name of Marandi as the leader of the legislative party during the meeting, and it was unanimously approved by all, Yadav had said after the meeting.
Thereafter, the party's working president Ravindra Kumar Rai wrote a letter to the Speaker informing him about the development.
In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the ruling INDIA bloc has 56 MLAs -- JMM 34, Congress 16, RJD four and CPI (ML) Liberation two. The BJP has 21 members, and each of the AJSU Party, JD(U), LJP (RV) and JLKM has one.