Mumbai, Dec 3 (NationPress) In the midst of local body elections, the winter session of the Maharashtra Legislature is scheduled to take place from December 8 to 14 in Nagpur. The timetable was set during the meetings of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) held at Vidhan Bhavan on Wednesday.

Initially, the winter session was announced to last from December 8 to 19, following the prorogation of both Houses after the monsoon session concluded in July.

However, this session has been shortened due to the upcoming polling for the second phase of the Nagar Parishad and Nagar Panchayat elections scheduled for December 20, with counting on December 21.

The BAC meeting for the state Assembly was chaired by Speaker Rahul Narwekar, while state council Chairman Ram Shinde presided over the upper house meeting.

During the BAC discussions, opposition parties including Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP(SP), strongly advocated for a winter session duration of no less than three weeks.

They also urged for the prompt appointment of opposition leaders in both the state council and Assembly.

Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Anil Parab confirmed that he and Congress legislator Satej Patil met with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to request the appointment of these leaders.

"It is unconstitutional to conduct the winter session of the state legislature without the leaders of the opposition present," he stated.

Parab mentioned that the Chief Minister assured them the matter would be considered positively.

Legislator Bhaskar Jadhav from Shiv Sena (UBT) criticized the government's indecision over appointing opposition leaders, arguing that the government fears facing the opposition's inquiries.

"They (ministers) lack the courage to handle the opposition's barrage of questions," he asserted. Jadhav condemned the government's decision to shorten the winter session, insisting it should have lasted three weeks.

Parab pointed out that the brief duration of the session is likely due to the approaching Municipal Corporation elections in key cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik, suggesting the government is hesitant to tackle issues comprehensively before the elections.

"One week is insufficient to address all of Maharashtra's concerns. We hope that at least the core issues of Vidarbha will be discussed since the session is in Nagpur," he commented.

Jadhav contended that the government is unwilling to extend the session because, despite their majority, they lack answers to the opposition's pressing questions.

He also criticized the State Election Commission (SEC) for its alleged inaction regarding pre-election financial schemes.

"The current SEC appears to be blind, mute, and deaf, seemingly operating on behalf of a political party. Previously, the SEC would promptly halt financial schemes announced just before elections. This commission, however, seems to be passively observing while government funds are used to sway voters," he remarked.

In response, BJP legislator Ram Kadam dismissed the opposition's concerns regarding the session’s duration.

"These are the same individuals who would conclude sessions in just two or three days when they were in power. Now they want to dictate how long a session should be," he replied.

"These frustrated individuals require medical attention," he added.

Kadam assured that both the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, were prepared to address all opposition inquiries, asserting that the BJP operates independently of election timelines, as elections are under the purview of the State Election Commission.