New Delhi: With the tenure of senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad going to end on February 15, a new challenge is awaiting for Congress to find his replacement as the Leader of Opposition in the upper house.
Various names, including of Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma, Digvijay Singh, P Chidambaram are going rounds. According to the sources, Congress is looking for a person with experience and who can strongly raise the voice of opposition in Rajya Sabha.
Technically, the position should be given to Anand Sharma, who is currently the deputy LoP in Rajya Sabha and has remained actively involved in the coordination with other opposition parties from the past six years. However, Sharma was among the group of 23 leaders who had written a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, demanding organisational overhaul, which may work against him during the selection of LOP.
Considering the need of regional balance in both the houses, Digvijay Singh can be another option for the post as he belongs to the Hindi Heartland, while in Lok Sabha, the LoP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary and his deputy Gaurav Gogoi both are not from a Hindi speaking state. Though, in terms of seniority, P Chidambaram has an equal claim.
READ: I feel proud to be Hindustani Muslim, says Ghulam Nabi Azad in RS
However, the name of Mallikarjun Kharge has been at the forefront from quite a long time as he is a trusted leader among the opposition and is considered to be close to Rahul Gandhi. Kharge is also a prominent Dalit Leader, so giving him a higher post at Parliament may prove beneficial for the party as well. It has also been said that Kharge was being brought to the Rajya Sabha while considering the end of Azad's tenure.
Meanwhile, three Rajya Sabha seats from Kerala are also going to fall vacant in April, out of which Congress holds one. It is expected that Azad may contest from that state. But his chances of re-entering the upper house appears to be very thin.
