BJP chief, Union min Nadda named Leader of House in RS; replaces Goyal

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president and Union minister Jagat Prakash Nadda was appointed the leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Nadda took over from Union minister Piyush Goyal, who entered the 18th Lok Sabha from the North Mumbai seat.

Nadda was allocated the portfolios of health, chemicals, and fertilisers in the new NDA government. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is the current leader of opposition in the Upper House. Former Union minister Arun Jaitley was the leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha from 2014 to 2019, with Goyal succeeding him.

The BJP's constitution adheres to the 'one person, one post' principle, which entails that Nadda, now a Union minister, should step down as the party's chief. Succeeding Amit Shah, Nadda assumed the role in 2020. Shah had by then assumed the role of Union home minister. However, party sources indicated that Nadda will continue as the chief until the party's organisational elections are completed. The party constitution says it could elect a national president after completing organisational elections in 50 per cent of all states. This process could take up to six months, sources said.

Nadda was elected as a BJP legislator from Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur in 1993, 1998, and 2007. He was Himachal's health minister from 1998 to 2003. 

Nadda made his Rajya Sabha debut in 2012 from Himachal Pradesh. He was inducted into the BJP's parliamentary board, the party’s highest decision-making body, in 2014 when Shah succeeded Rajnath Singh as the party president. Nadda was elected to the Rajya Sabha for a third term in April this year from Gujarat.