As the Congress-led Opposition still hobnobs for options to lead a Government at the Centre, the party is likely to take call on the nomination of `Leader of Opposition' in the new Lok Sabha, the official status of LoP restored after a decade, at a meeting of the party's apex CWC meeting on Saturday.
Sources said logically the LoP status will fall into the kitty of Congress which is the largest amongst the Opposition but it may consider a `vocal' leader from either of parties from the INDIA Bloc.
"Lets see who becomes the LoP. It's the Congress or from INDIA as a united representation has to be made to face the BJP led NDA again," quipped a senior party leader. Batting for Rahul Gandhi to take on the mantle of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, several party leaders and newly elected MPs, including senior party leader Shashi Tharoor said the former Congress president deserves more than anyone. "I think we have a strong number now to stand up to the government and it (Leader of Opposition) should be a leader who is undoubtedly the most popular in the party," Tharoor said. Sources in the Congress said however Rahul may refuse to don the mantle of LoP in Lok Sabha as he will "have to keep a tab on many other things for the INDIA Bloc".
"A decision in this regard is to be taken in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Saturday. This will be first meeting after the great gains in just concluded LS polls and all of us looking forward to meet and greet and the leaders including high command who worked hard," said the Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary who led the Congress in the outgoing Lok Sabha however lost the elections from his home turf in West Bengal this time.
Sources said there may also be a discussion on which of the two seats Rahul should retain for political reasons. He had won from two constituencies, Wayanad in Kerala and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. Top Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, besides other leaders would participate in the deliberations. The party will also host a dinner for all its newly elected MPs on Saturday evening.
The biggest Opposition party with 10 per cent of seats has Leader of Opposition post in the Lok Sabha. Congress, after being reduced to just 44 seats in 2014, and then 52 seats in the 2019 general elections fell short twice to get the post officially it led as Leader of the (largest) Party which was represented first by Mallikarjun Kharge and in the outgoing LS Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary who has lost this elections. Congress almost doubled its tally in the 2024 Lok Sabha election with 99 plus one (100) MPs to bear the torch of grand old party in LS.
Congress got 99 seats and then increased its tally by one - touching the 100 mark - after Independent Lok Sabha member from Maharashtra Vishal Patil extended support to the party.
"Leader of the Opposition', in relation to either House of Parliament, means that member of the Council of States or the House of the People, as the case may be, who is, for the time being, the Leader in that House of the party in opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength and recognised as such by the Chairman of the Council of States or the Speaker of the House of the People, as the case may be," as per the definition stated by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977.
