The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest executive panel of the party, on Saturday unanimously passed a resolution to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Gandhi, who has won from both Wayanad and Raebareli by huge margins, said he will think about the proposal, sources said. Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has reportedly asked him to accept the post.

For the last decade, although the Congress president has held the position of Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the party didn’t have the Leader of Opposition status in the Lok Sabha due to insufficient parliamentary representation. To qualify for this position, a party needs at least 10% of the 543 Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress won 99 seats on its own and a former Congressman, who contested and won the Lok Sabha election as an independent from Sangli in Maharashtra, extended support to the party taking its tally to 100.

“All participants, in their view, were unanimous that Rahul Gandhi should become the LoP,” Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said after the CWC meeting.

“In this election, we raised burning issues such as unemployment, price rise, women’s issues, agniveer and social justice issue. These issues have to be continued in a greater manner inside Parliament as well. Rahul Gandhi is the best person to lead this campaign in the Lok Sabha. In the current scenario, for a better, stronger and vigilant Opposition, and for those who want to protect Constitution, it should be safe under Rahul Gandhi as LoP,” Venugopal added.

Praising Rahul Gandhi’s role for the party’s improved performance, the resolution said, “Former Congress President Shri Rahul Gandhi has to be singled out largely because of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that he designed and led. Both these Yatras that reflected his own thinking and personality were historic turning points in our nation’s politics and instilled hope and confidence in lakhs of our workers and crores of our voters.”

“Shri Rahul Gandhi’s election campaign was single-minded, sharp and pointed and more than any other individual it was he who made the protection of our republic’s Constitution the central issue in the 2024 elections. ThePaanchNyay-Pachees Guarantee programme which resonated so very powerfully in the election campaign was the outcome of Rahulji’s yatras in which he listened to the fears, concerns and aspirations of all people especially youth, women, farmers, workers, dalits, adivasis, OBCs and minorities,” it added.

Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor, who pitched for Gandhi as LoP calling him “man of the match”, said, “He and Congress president (Mallikarjun) Kharge campaigned extensively throughout the country, but Mr Kharge is in the Rajya Sabha where he leads the Opposition and it would only be fitting that Rahul Gandhi does the same in the Lok Sabha.”