Advani agrees to be Leader of Opposition

BJP president Rajnath Singh said that Advani had agreed to continue as Leader of BJP's Parliamentary Board". "Therefore, it is understood that he will also be the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha," he said.

After the party's poll debacle, Advani had expressed his desire not to become the Leader of the Opposition. He had asked the Parliamentary Board to choose another leader.

The Board did not agree to his request, but keeping in view his insistence, the party president was authorised to talk to him to change his decision.

"Since the party felt that it needed the leadership and guidance of Advani, it requested him to agree to be the Leader of the Party in the 15th Lok Sabha," Singh told reporters.

"When Advani was informed that the party needed his leadership and guidance to rebuild itself to meet the challenges of the future, as it suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha elections, he agreed not to persist with his suggestion," Singh added.