Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha

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Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Rājya Sabhā ke Vipakṣa ke Netā
Emblem of India
Incumbent Mallikarjun Kharge since 16 February 2021
Residence	New Delhi
Appointer	While parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in the Rajya Sabha that is not in government
Term length	5 years
Inaugural holder	Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra (1969–1971)
Website	rajyasabha.nic.in

The Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha (IAST: Rājya Sabhā ke Vipakṣa ke Netā) is an elected Member of Rajya Sabha who leads the official opposition in the Upper House of the Parliament of India. The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha is the parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in the Rajya Sabha that is not in government.

History[]

In the Rajya Sabha until 1969, the title of opposition leader only existed de facto and had no formal recognition, status or privilege. Later, the leader of the opposition was given official recognition and their salary and allowances was extended by the Act, 1977. Since then, the leader in the Rajya 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 Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha

In December 1969, the Congress Party (O) was recognised as the main opposition party in the parliament while its leader, Shyam Nandan Mishra plays the role of opposition leader. M. S. Gurupadaswamy was later elected the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha after Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra completed his tenure. However, Gurupadaswamy's appointment was declared with no formal announcement.

Role and Responsibilities[]

The Leader of Opposition (LoP) looks at government policies formulated for the rights of minorities and demands debate and criticizes the government if ruling party tries to avoid debates on such policy. LoP also debates on the country's foreign relations and trade when it poses security threats on the national security.^[1][2]

Privileges and salary[]

Opposition leaders plays a significant role in government policies and their implementation by the ruling party. Sometimes, opposition leaders questions government about the country's national security and development. ^[3] After the constitution of India created a separate law on 1 November 1977 for opposition leaders, the salary was extended.^[4]

List of Leaders of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha[]

Following members have been the Leaders of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.^[5]

No.	Name	Portrait	Term		Party
–	Vacant		13 May 1952	18 December 1969	No official opposition
1	Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra		18 December 1969 [6]	11 March 1971	Indian National Congress (O)
2	M. S. Gurupadaswamy		24 March 1971	02 April 1972
3	Kamalapati Tripathi		30 March 1977	15 February 1978	Indian National Congress
4	Bhola Paswan Shastri		24 February 1978	23 March 1978	Indian National Congress
(3)	Kamalapati Tripathi		23 March 1978	02 April 1978	Indian National Congress
			18 April 1978	08 January 1980
5	L. K. Advani		21 January 1980	7 April 1980	Janata Party
6	P. Shiv Shankar		18 December 1989	2 January 1991	Indian National Congress
(2)	M. S. Gurupadaswamy		28 June 1991	21 July 1991	Janata Dal
7	Jaipal Reddy		22 July 1991	29 June 1992
8	Sikander Bakht		7 July 1992	16 May 1996	Bharatiya Janata Party
9	Shankarrao Chavan		23 May 1996	1 June 1996	Indian National Congress
(8)	Sikander Bakht		1 June 1996	19 March 1998	Bharatiya Janata Party
10	Manmohan Singh		21 March 1998	22 May 2004	Indian National Congress
11	Jaswant Singh		03 June 2004	16 May 2009	Bharatiya Janata Party
12	Arun Jaitley		03 June 2009	26 May 2014
13	Ghulam Nabi Azad		8 June 2014	10 February 2015	Indian National Congress
			16 February 2015	15 February 2021
14	Mallikarjun Kharge		16 February 2021	incumbent

See also[]

• Vice President of India (Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha)
• Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
• Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha
• Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha
• Leader of the House in 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.inCS1 maint: date format (link)