Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, according to party general secretary KC Venugopal, who made the announcement following a meeting of opposition party floor leaders.
“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 at a press briefing.
“Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been appointed as the LoP in the Lok Sabha, says Congress general secretary KC Venugopal pic.twitter.com/8AYbBlkEbV
— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2024
The decision to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was made during a meeting of floor leaders from INDIA bloc parties held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in New Delhi. Among the attendees were NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule, TMC MP Derek O’Brien, and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party leader Hanuman Beniwal.
“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,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey.
Rahul Gandhi, a five-term MP currently representing the Rae Bareli constituency in the Lok Sabha, took his oath of office on Tuesday while holding a copy of the Constitution. After a decade-long gap, the Congress, as the largest opposition party, is now entitled to the post of Leader of the Opposition. In the last two elections, it failed to meet the 10 percent member requirement in the Lok Sabha for this position.
Last week, Gandhi hinted at his new role, mentioning that Kharge had “threatened” him with consequences if he did not accept the party’s resolution to become the Leader of the Opposition.
Rahul Gandhi’s appointment as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha comes just before the election for the Speaker’s post, with both the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc having nominated their respective candidates.