Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Rahul Gandhi has been appointed as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha. While the Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal made the announcement following a crucial meeting that was held by the opposition party floor leaders, the formal decision on the same was revealed in a letter that was penned by the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to the pro tem speaker of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, Bhartruhari Mahtab
“CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab, informing the decision of appointment of Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha,” Venugopal said while addressing the media.
The pivotal decision emerged from a meeting held at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi. The gathering saw the presence of notable opposition leaders, including Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Hanuman Beniwal of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party. The meeting underscored the unity and collective strategy of the opposition INDIA bloc.
Anand Dubey, a leader from Shiv Sena (UBT), expressed his approval, stating, “Congress is the largest member of the INDIA bloc. They won 99 seats in Lok Sabha polls 2024, and Rahul Gandhi played a key role in it. We are glad that he has been appointed as Leader of Opposition.”
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Rahul Gandhi, a seasoned parliamentarian with five terms under his belt, currently represents the Rae Bareli constituency. He was recently sworn in as an MP, taking his oath with a copy of the Constitution. The Congress, now the largest opposition party, has reclaimed the LoP position after a decade-long hiatus, having previously failed to secure the requisite 10 percent of seats in the last two elections.
Hints of Gandhi’s forthcoming leadership role were evident last week when he mentioned that Mallikarjun Kharge had “threatened” him with party action if he did not accept the LoP position. This appointment arrives at a critical juncture, just before the election for the Speaker’s post, where both the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition INDIA bloc have nominated their candidates.
