Maharashtra Legislature Budget session begins tomorrow

The Budget session of Maharashtra Legislature will begin from tomorrow with Opposition Congress- NCP aiming to target the Devendra Fadnavis-led government for failure on issues like drought and untimely rains which have affected farmers in the state.
The session will begin with Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao's customary address to the Legislature.
Finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is scheduled to table the state budget in the Assembly on March 18.
Issues like the decision to scrap Muslim reservation in education, ban on cow-bullock slaughter, law and order situation, killing of communist leader Govind Pansare, agriculture crisis due to drought and hailstorm and lack of financial aid to sugar industry are likely to come up for discussion.

At a meeting here today, Congress and NCP leaders have decided to boycott chief minister's customary tea party on the eve of the session.
Both the parties, which shared a rocky relationship during the past 15 years they were in power in the state, are trying to project a united front during the session.

However, for Fadnavis, the immediate priority seems to be tackling the growing fissures within the ruling alliance. The recent meeting of the BJP-Sena coordination committee could not soften Sena's anti-BJP stance on issues like land reforms.
Shiv Sena has threatened to launch an agitation against the nuclear power plant at Jaitapur in Konkan region.

During 1999-2014, Fadnavis was known for his budget speeches while in the opposition. This time around, he will face the heat from Congress-NCP over the budgetary proposals.
Leader of Opposition in state Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said, "We will target the government for failure to provide relief to drought-affected farmers who are reeling under severe crisis.