Kharge may stay on as leader of Opposition till Karnataka polls

Several factors, including the forthcoming Karnataka Assembly polls, could mean Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge could continue as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

Kharge quit the post, conforming to Congress' 'one person, one post' rule, when he filed his nomination for the party's organisational election. Party sources said Kharge could continue at least until the Karnataka polls, scheduled for April–May 2023.

Digvijaya Singh from Madhya Pradesh and Pramod Tiwari from Uttar Pradesh are among the frontrunners as Kharge's successor in the Rajya Sabha. The names of former finance minister P Chidambaram and senior MP Mukul Wasnik are also being speculated.

Tiwari, who is considered close to Priyanka Gandhi, is considered a lightweight in national politics, while Singh may not have the trust of the leadership that could act against his appointment. As for Chidamabaram, sources said it would be politically incongruous to have the party president and the Leader of the Opposition from the southern states.