Leader of Opposition

Current Context : Congress Leader, Rahul Gandhi will hold the post of  Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, which was remained vacant for the past 10 years.

ABOUT LOP

• Leader of the largest opposition party with not less than one tenth seats of the total strength of the Lok Sabha is recognised as the LoP.
• The leader of Opposition in both the Houses were accorded statutory recognition in 1977 with THE SALARY AND ALLOWANCES OF LEADERS OF OPPOSITION IN PARLIAMENT ACT, 1977 and are entitled to the salary, allowances and other facilities equivalent to that of a cabinet minister.
• The office of leader of the opposition is not mentioned in the Constitution but in the Parliamentary Statute.
• 10% criteria for choosing Leader of Opposition is not a statutory provision but a parliamentary convention.