Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha

The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (IAST: Lok Sabhā ke Vipakṣa ke Netā) is an elected Member of Lok Sabha who leads the official opposition in the Lower House of the Parliament of India. The Leader of the Opposition is the parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in the Lok Sabha that is not in government (provided that said political party has at least 10% of the seats in the Lok Sabha). Leader of opposition is not a constitutional post and officially recognised in “The salary and allowance of Leader of opposition act, 1977”.

History

In the Lok Sabha until 1969, there was a de facto opposition leader with no formal recognition, status or privilege. Later, the leader of the opposition was given official recognition, and their salary and allowances were extended by the Act of 1977. Since then, the leader in the Lok Sabha should satisfy three conditions, namely,

1. he should be a member of the House
2. of the party in opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength and
3. be recognised by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha

In December 1969, the Congress Party (O) was recognised as the main opposition party in the parliament while its leader, Ram Subhag Singh played the role of the opposition leader.

List of leaders of the opposition in Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha did not officially recognise a Leader of the Opposition until 1969. The position was vacant between 1970 and 1977, between 1980 and 1989 and between 2014 to 2024.

Statistics

List of leaders of the opposition by length of term

List of deputy leaders of the opposition in Lok Sabha

See also

• Vice-President of India (Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha)
• Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha
• Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha
• Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha
• Leader of the House in Lok Sabha
• Secretary General of the Lok Sabha

References

Further reading

• Manisha, M. (2010–2011), Parliamentary Efficacy and the Role of the Opposition: A Comparative Study of the 2nd and 14th Lok Sabha (PDF), Rajya Sabha Fellowship for Parliamentary Studies, rajyasabha.nic.in