Singapore:

Singapore’s Indian-origin Leader of Opposition Pritam Singh has been re-elected secretary-general of the Workers’ Party (WP), ahead of the city-state’s next general election.

A total of 14 members, led by re-elected chairwoman Sylvia Lim, were voted into the Central Executive Committee (CEC) — the top decision-making body of the Workers’ Party (WP).

Singh, 48, was elected unopposed on Sunday. He has been WP’s secretary-general since 2018.

“Fantastic result. We’re looking forward to working with this CEC for the next two years,” Singh told reporters.

“This wasn’t about candidature, this was an internal party election, so my comments will be restricted to that,” Channel News Asia quoted Singh as saying.

Media reports say the WP CEC, elected for two years, is set for the city-state’s next general election, which has to be called by November 2025 but could be held earlier, sometime in November this year.

Singh was charged in court on March 19 for lying in Parliament about a case involving former WP member Raeesah Khan.

Khan had allegedly lied in Parliament in 2021 over a sexual assault case and accused the police of mishandling the case.

Singh, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, is set to go on trial in October.

His trial is set for October and November, media reports said, citing court records on May 31.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, set to be Leader of Opposition, shook hands today in parliament as they together welcomed 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. Mr 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, Prime Minister Modi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju approached Mr Birla’s seat in the front row of the treasury benches to escort him to the Speaker’s chair. Accompanying them was Rahul Gandhi.

“It is a matter of honour that you have been elected to this chair for the second time,” PM Modi said, congratulating Mr Birla. “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 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. The Leader of the Opposition plays a key part in the appointment of key officials such as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), and members of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and the Lokayukta.

 

New Delhi:

Taking the fight to the ruling BJP-led NDA, Rahul Gandhi has accepted a decision by the Congress Working Committee and will take up the mantle of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. 

Tuesday’s announcement comes hours before the first big battle of the 18th Lok Sabha, between a resurgent opposition and a diminished ruling coalition, over the post of Speaker. 

Denied an assurance that an opposition member would be given the post of Deputy Speaker, as is the tradition, the Congress and the INDIA bloc decided to force an election for the post of Speaker at the last minute by putting up K Suresh as its candidate against the BJP’s pick, Om Birla, who was the Speaker in the last Lok Sabha.

While Wednesday’s election – the first for the Speaker’s post  in decades – is likely to be only a symbolic one since it requires a simple majority of 272 MPs and the NDA, which has 292 on its own, has also got the support of the YSR Congress’ 4 MPs, it is about the opposition signalling that things in Parliament will not remain as they were in 2014 and 2019. 

The move to make Rahul Gandhi, who is arguably the Congress’ most popular face, the Leader of the Opposition is also being seen as a step in that direction because this is the first time since 2014 that any opposition party has managed to cross the magic figure of 54 (10% of the Lok Sabha’s strength) needed to stake claim to the post. Besides getting a cabinet rank, the Leader of the Opposition post will enable Mr Gandhi to strongly take up the issues of the people and the INDIA bloc at a time when the opposition parties are at their strongest in a decade. 

He will also be part of key panels, like those to select Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners, along with the Prime Minister. 

The decision to pick Mr Gandhi for the post was made after a meeting of floor leaders of the INDIA bloc at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Tuesday

“Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson (Sonia Gandhi) wrote a letter to Pro-Tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab, informing him of the decision to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Other office bearers will be decided later,” senior party leader KC Venugopal said after the meeting.

New Delhi:

Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, widely expected to shoulder the responsibilities of the Leader of the Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha, is not inclined to take up the post, sources in the party have confided. Three senior leaders — Kumari Selja, Gaurav Gogoi and Manish Tiwari — are being considered for the job, sources said.

The Opposition will have a leader in the Lok Sabha after a decade following its hugely improved performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. Ninety-nine of its 232 seats have come from the Congress, and as the largest party in the Opposition benches, it is expected name the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr Gandhi, whose Bharat Jodo Yatra was widely cited as the reason for the Congress boost — the party won 44 seats in 2014 and 52 in 2019 — was expected to take more responsibility in parliament. There has been considerable pressure on him from various leaders on this point.

The post would have given him Cabinet rank, help coordinate better with allies in the INDIA bloc and helped the Congress project a strong face by spearheading the Opposition attack on the BJP in the Lok Sabha.

But sources said Mr Gandhi, who even stepped down from the party chief’s post following the rout in 2019, is not keen on it. He has avoided taking up any post since, sources added.

Mr Gandhi has also decided to represent his mother Sonia Gandhi’s constituency, Raebareli, in parliament, sources said. An announcement is expected this evening.

He will give up Wayanad, from where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is expected to contest.

The other family bastion in Uttar Pradesh, Amethi, is already back in Congress hands, with long-time Gandhi family aide KL Sharma besting the BJP’s former Union minister Smriti Irani.

Ms Gandhi Vadra had not contested in the general election, choosing instead to focus on campaigning for the party. Sources said she had reservations about all three Gandhis being in parliament, concerned that it would give ammunition to the BJP for its “dynastic politics” allegation. Sonia Gandhi is a member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament.