PM Modi, Rahul shake hands as they welcome new LS Speaker

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, set to be Leader of Opposition, shook hands in Parliament as they welcomed together the newly re-elected Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, marking a fresh chapter in the 18th Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi is the third member of the Gandhi family to take the post of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.

Gandhi follows in the footsteps of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, who served from 1999 to 2004, and his father, Rajiv Gandhi, who was the Leader of the Opposition from 1989 to 1990.

Pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab declared the election results after the Opposition, which had put forward Congress MP K Suresh as its candidate, chose not to push for a vote on the motion.

Following the announcement, PM Modi and Parliamentary Affairs

Minister Kiren Rijiju approached Om Birla's seat in the front row of the treasury benches to escort him to the Speaker's chair, accompanied them by Rahul Gandhi.

Congratulating Birla, PM Modi said, "It is a matter of honour that you have been elected to this chair for the second time. I congratulate you on behalf of the entire House and look forward to your guidance for the next five years. Your sweet smile keeps the entire House happy."

"I would like to congratulate you on behalf of the entire opposition and the INDIA alliance," said Rahul Gandhi.

"You are the final arbiter of people's voice. The government may have political power, but the Opposition also represents the voice of the people.

Opposition would like to assist you in your work, I am confident you will allow us to speak in House."

The history of the Leader of the Opposition in India dates back to 1969

when Ram Suhag Singh first held the post. Since then, this role has evolved to become a cornerstone of parliamentary democracy.