Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will be the Leader of Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha. The party announced this after a meeting of the leaders of the India Alliance at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday (June 25). After this, Congress Parliamentary Board President Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to pro tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab in this regard.
Rahul will hold a constitutional post for the first time in his 20-year political career. He will be the third member of the Gandhi family to hold this post. Earlier, his father and former PM Rajiv Gandhi held this post from 1989-90 and mother Sonia from 1999 to 2004.
The post of Leader of Opposition was vacant for 10 years
The post of Leader of Opposition was vacant in the Lok Sabha for 10 years. In 2014 and 2019, no opposition party had the minimum 10% members required for this. To stake a claim for the post of Leader of Opposition, any party has to cross the figure of 55 members out of a total of 543.
In the 2024 elections, Congress has become the largest opposition party with 99 seats. INDIA alliance managed to win 232 seats as against BJP’s 240 and NDA’s 293 seats. Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Congress had won only 52 seats. In the 2014 elections, the party was able to win only 44 seats.
After becoming the Leader of Opposition, Rahul will get many powers and rights
As the Leader of Opposition, Rahul will get many powers and rights. He will be a part of the key panel selecting the appointment of two other members of the Election Commission along with the Prime Minister, including the Chief Election Commissioner.
Apart from this, Rahul will also be a member of the committees selecting the Lokpal, ED-CBI Director, Central Vigilance Commissioner, Central Information Commissioner, NHRC Chief. The Prime Minister is the chairman of these committees. This will be the first time that Prime Minister Modi will have to take consent from Rahul Gandhi in the decisions of appointment to these posts.
Rahul will also be the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, which audits the expenses of the Government of India. He will also continuously review the work of the government. Rahul can also invite the President or Prime Minister of other countries to India to give their views on national issues.
A proposal was made to make Rahul the Leader of Opposition on June 8
Four days after the results of the Lok Sabha elections were announced on June 4, a resolution was passed in the Congress Working Committee meeting on June 8, which said that Rahul Gandhi should be appointed the Leader of the Opposition.
The proposal said that Rahul Gandhi designed and led the Bharat Jodo Yatra and Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Both these yatras were historic turning points in the politics of the country. This created hope and confidence in lakhs of Congress workers and crores of voters.
Rahul Gandhi had initially refused to take this post, but after being convinced by mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi, he agreed to become the Leader of the Opposition.