With 99 seats in the Lok Sabha, following a strong performance by the INDIA bloc in the general elections, the Congress party is now in a position to claim the post of Leader of Opposition in parliament. Consequently, there is increasing support for Rahul Gandhi to take on this significant role.
Earlier in the day, Congress MP-elect Manickam Tagore, in a post on X, urged the former party president to become the leader of Congress in the lower house.
“I sought votes on the name of my leader, Rahul Gandhi. I think he should be the Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha. I hope elected Congress MPs also think the same. Let’s see how the Congress Parliamentary Party decides. We are a Democratic Party,” said Tagore, who won from Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha shared similar views, stating, “Rahul ji led the campaign frontally. He was the face. He is duty bound to take on the mantle of Lok Sabha parliamentary party leadership. @RahulGandhi cannot take all decisions about himself. Some decisions the party leaders / MPs have to take. Surely will be a unanimous choice.”
Congress leader Karti Chidambaram also commented, “…I think the slot will come to the Congress. In my personal opinion, Rahul Gandhi himself must take up the leader of opposition on behalf of Congress.”
Rahul Gandhi, who resigned as Congress president following the party’s defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, is credited by the party for their impressive comeback in 2024.
Not only Congress leaders but also Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut praised Gandhi. “If Rahul Gandhi is ready to accept the leadership, why would we object? He has proven himself as a national leader for multiple times. He is one of the popular leaders. We all want him and love him. There is no objection and difference in the alliance,” Raut said at a press conference.
Since his political debut in 2004, the 53-year-old leader has never held a constitutional post, even when his party was in power.
Last year, he was expelled from Parliament due to a defamation case after the BJP accused him of mocking the prime minister’s surname. He was later reinstated by the Supreme Court.