With the 18th electoral results of Lok Sabha, the chief of the Congress Rahul Gandhi finally redeemed. The performance of the opposition in India Bloc in the general elections challenged the exit survey forecasts. Although the regrouping led by the Congress cannot stop the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata (BJP) party back to power for a third term, it had every reason to encourage surprising return .
The victory was sweeter for the congress which won 99 of the 543 seats of Lok Sabha – his greatest total since 2014. Now, the great old party is eligible to claim the position of opposition chief (LOP) in the Lok Sabha.
There are reports that many leaders in the congress want Gandhi to be the LOP in the lower room of the Parliament.
Here is an overview of the reason why the position is important, why it has been vacant since 2014 and if Rahul Gandhi would accept the party’s request.
Lop Post in Lok Sabha
The head of the opposition in Lok Sabha is a cabinet class position that comes with his own advantages.
The LOP is a member of many crucial committees such as public accounts, public enterprises, estimates, etc. India today.
Besides Being on Several Joint Parliamentary Panels, The Lop is also part of selection commtes that completed Heads of the Central Agencies Like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Chiefs of Statracy Bodies Like the Central Vigilance Commission, The Central Information Commission, etc.
No LOP since 2014
The Progressive Progressive Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by the Congress was routed by the NDA in 2014, the old old party being reduced to only 44 seats in Lok Sabha.
As the main challenger of the BJP had less than the required threshold of 54 MPS in the lower chamber, the BJP, through the named speaker, refused to recognize the leader of the old old party as a Lop.
According to the rules, a part needs 10% of the seats in the Lok Sabha to be entitled to the Post Lop.
In 2019, when Congress improved its performance a little in terms of seats, it still dropped two seats in less of the 54 -year marking.
While the Post of the LOP remained elusive, the great Old Party chose its current president Mallikarjun Kharge as a “chief of the congress” in Lok Sabha in 2014. This position was occupied by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in 2019.
However, this time, Chowdhury lost its Lok Sabha siege in Baharampur in Western Bengal against the former cricket player Yusuf Pathan of the Trinamool Congress.
Also read: Why the India Alliance chose to sit in the opposition benches in Parliament
Will Rahul Gandhi be the LOP?
The congress would have pushed Rahul Gandhi to accept the LOK Sabha Lop post.
In addition, this is not a new request. The leaders of the Congress wanted the Gandhi Scion to direct the party in the lower chamber in 2014 after having faced a major survey in the hands of the BJP. A similar request was made in 2019, but Gandhi refused to take into account the pressure.
In fact, he even resigned as president of the Congress after the 2019 electoral debacle, a position he had taken care of his mother Sonia Gandhi in 2017.
The clamor increased this time with the renewal of the congress in electoral policy. Taking at X, the Rajya Sabha Congress, the deputy for Vivek Tankha, said that Rahul Gandhi was “linked” to lead the party as a Lop in the lower room of the Parliament.
“We want him to be the LOP. But there has not yet been a discussion on this subject. However, this is the feeling in the party, ”said a key official of the party quoted by Times of India (you).
Not only of the voices of the interior of the congress, but even opposition leaders like Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackrey) and Viduthalai CHIRTHAGAL Katchi (VCK) Thol Thirumavalavan supported the idea of Gandhi as Lop.
About Deccan Herald (DH)Congress leaders are of the opinion that Rahul Gandhi should go from his post as a “de facto chief” and officially take the leadership of the party.
If he concedes, the former chief of the congress can directly face Narera Modi. The role will also force him to be in contact with the Prime Minister and the President of Lok Sabha regularly.
Decision supporters argue that Gandhi was the main face of the opposition against Modi inside and outside the parliament, reported DH.
However, the elected representative of the Congress is reluctant to face the Lop coat. “He does not need this post to raise his voice against the government or question the Prime Minister,” said the people who know him News18.
If Gandhi refuses to relax under the pressure of the party, there are other names that make rounds for the position.
These include high leaders of Congress like Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tiwari, KC Venugopal and an outgoing assistant to Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi.
However, the DH The report indicates that, as Kharge is already Lop Rajya Sabha and he and Venugopal belong to the south, the party may not go ahead with the latter.
How Rahul Gandhi ensured the revival of the congress
For years, Gandhi has been mocked from the BJP for his remarks, his leaders even onbilling him even “Pappu”. He is also a target because he is the heir to the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty.
The failures of the Congress in the general elections of 2014 and 2019 and several polls of the Assembly were held during the decade, as well as its leaders deserting the party during its decline, made believe that the great old party is a force spent.
However, the congress has resurfaced in recent years. The image of the Gandhi Scion took a massive blow due to the electoral blows of the congress, but he has now proven that this can be taken seriously in the Indian political landscape.
These electoral results indicate that the two Bharat Jodo Yats from Gandhi paid. The problems he raised in high unemployment, inflation and inequality of increasing income also resonated with voters. This was visible because the party made significant breakthroughs in the authorities at the BJP such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Maharashtra (a coalition government) in the polls of Lok Sabha.
The India’s block obtained a total of 232 seats and prevented the BJP from reaching the majority brand of 272 alone, which means that the party count on its NDA allies to form the government. Gandhi himself won both the Lok Sabha seats in Rae Bareli and Wayanad which he challenged by margins of more than three Lakh votes.
The political return of the congress in 2024 would help the party to present Gandhi as an alternative to the BJP Modi PM.
“Rahul Gandhi has become a strong national leader and that should be concerned about Modi,” said journalist and political analyst Rasheed Kidwai Associated Press (AP).
With agency entries
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