Rahul Gandhi Appointed Leader of Opposition in 18th Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha, the party announced on Tuesday. The decision was made following a meeting of the floor leaders of the INDIA bloc.

“Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, wrote to Pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab, informing him of the decision to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha,” senior party leader KC Venugopal informed reporters after the meeting.

Prior to this, the Congress Working Committee had unanimously proposed Rahul Gandhi for the opposition leader role after the election results. Initially, Gandhi had deferred his decision, considering the proposal.

The Congress party secured 99 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, making it the largest party within the INDIA bloc. According to parliamentary rules, a party must hold at least 55 seats to claim the Leader of the Opposition post.

It is noteworthy that the Lok Sabha has not had a Leader of the Opposition for the past decade, as no party, other than the ruling one, had previously secured the minimum required seats to nominate a candidate for this position.