Days after the senior Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde was given the important portfolio of home ministry, he has now been made the leader of the Lok Sabha. The post fell vacant after the former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee resigned from it to contest in the presidential poll.
After the United Progressive Alliance government made minor cabinet changes on Tuesday, Shinde was shifted from the power ministry to the home ministry.
Last week, 10 Congress MPs had written to the Congress president Sonia Gandhi requesting her to appoint the party general secretary Rahul Gandhi to this post. There were speculations that Rahul might be given the task of leading the UPA in the Lok Sabha as a step towards enhancing his political profile. But, differening from these MPs, the Congress top brass selected Shinde for this job on Friday.
Shinde represents the Solapur Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra. The 71-year-old dalit leader has earlier served as a chief minister of Maharashtra and was member of the state assembly for seven terms.
Commenting on this development, Shinde said, 'I am grateful to the prime minister and the Congress president Sonia Gandhi for nominating me as the leader of the house.'
After the United Progressive Alliance government made minor cabinet changes on Tuesday, Shinde was shifted from the power ministry to the home ministry.
Last week, 10 Congress MPs had written to the Congress president Sonia Gandhi requesting her to appoint the party general secretary Rahul Gandhi to this post. There were speculations that Rahul might be given the task of leading the UPA in the Lok Sabha as a step towards enhancing his political profile. But, differening from these MPs, the Congress top brass selected Shinde for this job on Friday.
Shinde represents the Solapur Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra. The 71-year-old dalit leader has earlier served as a chief minister of Maharashtra and was member of the state assembly for seven terms.
Commenting on this development, Shinde said, 'I am grateful to the prime minister and the Congress president Sonia Gandhi for nominating me as the leader of the house.'