Congress lawmaker Rahul Gandhi will be the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the party announced on Tuesday after a meeting with key INDIA bloc leaders. This marks the first time in a decade that the Lower House will fill this position.

On Tuesday, Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal announced, "CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote to Pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab informing the decision of appointment of Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha; other office bearers will be decided later," Venugopal said.

The development came hours ahead of a showdown between the government and the Opposition over the election of the Speaker.

The ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc have fielded their respective candidates, Om Birla and K Suresh, for the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. Efforts by the Bharatiya Janata Party's top leadership to reach a consensus on the Speaker's position were unsuccessful when the INDIA bloc decided to nominate eight-time MP K Suresh for the post.

Rahul Gandhi has been an MP for five terms and currently represents the Rae Bareli constituency in the Lok Sabha. He took his oath as an MP on Tuesday while holding a copy of the Constitution.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi won two Lok Sabha seats – Wayanad in Kerala and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. Following protocol, he vacated the Wayanad seat. The Congress has decided to field Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as their candidate for the Wayanad seat, marking her electoral debut.

The decision to appoint Rahul Gandhi, arguably the Congress' most prominent figure, as the Leader of the Opposition is viewed as a significant step forward. This marks the first time since 2014 that any opposition party has surpassed the threshold of 54 seats (10% of the Lok Sabha's strength), necessary to claim this post. In addition to receiving a cabinet rank, the Leader of the Opposition role will enable Gandhi to vigorously advocate for the people and represent the INDIA bloc's interests, at a time when opposition parties are at their strongest in a decade.

Image source: PTI