No decision yet on leader of Opposition, says Sumitra Mahajan

Congress falls short of required 10% strength of MPs eligible for LoP position

Soon after being elected unanimously as Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Sumitra Mahajan said she had not taken any decision on the appointment of a leader of Opposition (LOP).

“The decision will be taken after taking into consideration precedents in the case, which I will have to study.”

The Congress, second largest party with 44 MPs after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), falls short of the required strength of 10 per cent of the total number of member in the House to be eligible for Opposition status.

Mahajan, eight-time MP from Indore, told mediapersons her “priority” was to ensure no voice in the lower House goes unheard, even if it belongs to a member of a single-MP party.

While sources indicated the BJP-led government might decide on giving the post to the Congress, the Speaker remained non-committal.

Since the current session is short and would end on June 11, Mahanjan said there was no need for a deputy speaker for the House, for now.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkiah Naidu thanked all parties for unanimously supporting Mahajan to be elected Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha.