Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that ruled India for many years after gaining independence, has been chosen to lead the opposition in India’s parliament following a significant election outcome that brought his party back into the political spotlight.
A gathering of the Congress leadership, the primary opposition party in the nation, unanimously voted to propose Gandhi as the official opposition leader of India. This position had been vacant since 2014.
“All members present agreed that Rahul Gandhi should assume the role of opposition leader in parliament,” stated General Secretary KC Venugopal during a press briefing after the party’s executive meeting.
The recommendation will be presented at a meeting of the 232 lawmakers from a coalition led by Congress later today.
In a surprising turn of events, the ruling BJP lost its majority in the parliament during the recent election, causing a stir among Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s supporters.
Although the BJP will continue to lead the government, it will now rely on a group of regional allies within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for support, marking a significant shift in its leadership approach.
Modi is scheduled to be sworn in for a third term on Sunday.
‘Voters have punished the BJP’
Over 640 million voters participated in the six-week-long election across India, resulting in Congress nearly doubling its parliamentary seats, marking its strongest performance since Modi’s initial rise to power a decade ago.
Gandhi’s resurgence coincided with his victory in two districts, Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh and Wayanad in Kerala, after a previous defeat in 2019. He will soon need to decide which constituency to represent.
Gandhi’s campaign was characterized by extensive marches throughout the country to rally support against Modi’s government.
Aiyshwarya…
Link from www.aljazeera.com