Mallikarjun Kharge, chairman of the Congress, became the new opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha after the resignation of Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu approved Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s motion to appoint Kharge to replace Azad, who retired from the House of Lords on February 15 after serving as opposition leader for over six years.
“The Chairman, Rajya Sabha, appointed Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Chairman of the Indian National Congress Party in the Rajya Sabha, as opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha on February 16, 2021 under Section 2 of the Salaries and Allowances of Opposition Leaders in the 1977 Parliament Act and those therein contained in a bulletin of the parliament.
“After his term of office as a member of the Rajya Sabha ended on February 15, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad ceased to be the opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha at that time,” it said.
The Congress leadership chose Kharge to replace Azad in place of Anand Sharma, the party’s vice-chairman in the house.
Both Azad and Sharma were part of a group of 23 congressional leaders who wrote to Gandhi last year to request organizational elections and overhauls.
