- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday praised the appointment of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and said that the House of the People shall truly reflect the aspirations of the last person standing, with Rahul Gandhi becoming their voice.
Congress on Tuesday declared that Rahul Gandhi, party’s MP from Raebareli will be Leader of the Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha, ending the 10-year spell of no LoP in the Lower House since 2014.
“In the 18th Lok Sabha, the House of the People shall truly reflect the aspirations of the last person standing, with Rahul Gandhi becoming their voice,” Kharge posted on X.
He further expressed his confidence in Rahul Gandhi and said that he would raise the voice of the people.
“As Congress President, I am confident that a leader who has traversed the length and breadth of the country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, and from Manipur to Maharashtra shall raise the voice of the people — especially the marginalised and the poor,” he added.
The Congress chief reiterated the party’s commitment to “protect Democracy and the Constitution, by upholding its eternal principles of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.”
No Leader of Opposition since 2014
Notably, Lok Sabha did not have a Leader of the Opposition in the last 10 years because no political party, other than the ruling party, was able to secure the minimum Lok Sabha seats required to nominate a Leader of the Opposition.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the Congress emerged as the second-largest party with 52 seats. This was three short of the requisite numbers. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress, again the second largest party, won 44 Lok Sabha seats — way below the mark.
After the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls, the Congress emerged as the second-largest party in the election and improved its tally to 100, from 52 in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll. The total tally of the INDIA bloc stood at 234.
The announcement of Rahul Gandhi as LoP comes a day before the election for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker.
