Congress in no hurry to find new LoP for Rajya Sabha?

Congress appears to be in no hurry to choose a replacement for the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, a position party’s new president Mallikarjun Kharge quit at the time of filing nomination for organisational election to adhere to the policy of ‘one man, one post’.

While a section of Congress leaders said that there is no need to be hurrying in the appointment as the Winter Session schedule has not been announced, sources indicated Kharge may continue for some more time and his tenure as Leader of Opposition may extend till the time of Karnataka Assembly elections scheduled for April-May next year.

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Kharge, who took over as party president on October 26, had submitted his resignation letter to then-party chief Sonia Gandhi on September 29 when he filed the nominations. As per procedure, the Congress Parliamentary Party leader is to inform the Rajya Sabha Chairman about any change in its leadership.

There is intense lobbying for the post, as Kharge at one point in time has to vacate the post. Among the front runners are Digvijaya Singh from Madhya Pradesh and Pramod Tiwari from Uttar Pradesh. The names of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and senior MP Mukul Wasnik are also being speculated for the post.

There is a thinking in the party that the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha should be from the northern parts of the country, as the party chief is from the south. If the party toes this line, Chidambaram may be out of the race, especially with his lack of knowledge of Hindi.

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This would give Singh and Tiwari an upper hand over the others. Singh has an advantage over Tiwari as he has better relationships with other Opposition leaders and is senior enough. With elections just two years away, Congress would prefer better floor coordination in Parliament.

Sources said Tiwari, who is considered close to Priyanka Gandhi and re-elected to Rajya Sabha from Rajya Sabha after a break, is considered a lightweight in national politics, while Singh may not have the trust of the leadership that could act against his appointment.