Congress leaders rally for Rahul Gandhi as leader of opposition

New Delhi: As Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi prepares for his swearing-in ceremony, the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) convenes to deliberate on the selection of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the 18th Lok Sabha. There is a strong push within the party for senior leader and MP-elect Rahul Gandhi to assume the role, with support voiced by figures such as Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, MP Shashi Tharoor, and Manickam Tagore. "The aspiration of 140 crore people is for Rahul Gandhi to take up the LoP position," stated Reddy.

In addition, the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) will hold a separate meeting with its newly-elected MPs later today. Currently, Sonia Gandhi serves as the party chairperson and holds a seat in the Rajya Sabha after choosing not to run from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, a traditional stronghold of the Gandhi family. Her son, Rahul Gandhi, successfully contested from there.

Meanwhile, the finalization of Modi’s new council of ministers is anticipated before the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for 7.15 pm on Sunday. Following his unanimous election as the Parliamentary Party leader at the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) meeting on Friday, Modi announced that the list of ministers would be submitted to President Droupadi Murmu before the ceremony. The NDA holds 293 seats following Tuesday’s results, compared to the Opposition's INDIA bloc, which has 234 seats. The BJP secured 240 seats, while the Congress's tally reached 100 on Thursday night.