Delhi: The India Bloc has chosen Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. This decision, revealed by KC Venugopal, has been formally communicated to Congress Parliamentary Party Leader Sonia Gandhi and Protem Speaker Bhartrihari Mehtab. The announcement follows a meeting at AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, where alliance leaders discussed activities related to Rahul’s new role and the upcoming Speaker election.
The ruling party and opposition remain divided over the Speaker’s selection. With the Speaker election imminent, consolidating the opposition coalition became crucial, leading to Rahul Gandhi’s appointment as Leader of the Opposition. Though the Congress Working Committee had earlier selected him for this role, Rahul had not publicly accepted until now, bolstered by unanimous support from the India Alliance leaders.
Rahul Gandhi, a five-time elected MP, currently represents Rae Bareli. He also won from Wayanad but recently resigned from that seat, paving the way for his sister Priyanka Gandhi to contest there in the upcoming elections. Amid tensions over the Deputy Speaker post, which the ruling NDA declined to allocate to the opposition, Congress MP K. Suresh has been nominated by the opposition for the Speaker position. The election will take place on Wednesday.
