‘No decision yet on leader of opposition’

The decision on appointment of leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha would be taken after taking into consideration precedents in the case, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on Friday. The Congress, the main opposition party, has been truncated to just 44 seats in the house of 545 

this time.

Whether the Congress is eligible for getting leader of opposition status is not clear yet. To be recognized as the main opposition party in the Lok Sabha, a party needs to have won 10 per cent of the total 543 elected seats, which means a party with 54 seats will get the recognition.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, earlier this week, nominated Mallikarjun Kharge as leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha since Rahul Gandhi was reluctant to lead.