A total of 41 political parties have find representation in the just-elected 18th Lok Sabha, whereas the previous house, which was dissolved after Prime Minister resigned to pave way for the formation of the new government post the Lok Sabha Election 2024, had members from 36 parties, official data shows.
According to it, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress alone will have 339 MPs in the 543-member House. The BJP has emerged as the single largest party even if it could not achieve majority on its own.
The BJP fell 32 seats short of what would have been its third consecutive single-party majority as it had 282 seats in 2014, and 303 in 2019.
The Congress, which has secured 99 this time around, increased its tally from 44 seats in 2014 and 52 in 2019 general elections.
The BJP-led NDA, which has 293 seats in the new Lok Sabha, is all set to form the third successive government at the Centre with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking oath of the on June 8.
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The INDIA bloc, on the other hand, has 233 MPs, with Samajwadi Party (SP), the Congress’ Uttar Pradesh-based ally, securing 37 seats that makes it the largest after the BJP and the Congress. The SP is followed by fellow INDIA members – West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress, which has 29 seats and the DMK in Tamil Nadu winning 22 seats.
Candidates from non-NDA/INDIA parties got 17 seats, including seven by independents in Lok Sabha Election 2024.
Now, the Congress with 99 seats is entitled to claim the post of Leader of Opposition in the parliament. Party leaders want Rahul Gandhi to take up the coveted post.
Congress MP-elect Manickam Tagore in a social media post urged him to be the leader of Congress in the lower house.
“I sought votes on the name of my leader, Rahul Gandhi. I think he should be the Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha. I hope elected Congress MPs also think the same. Let’s see how the Congress Parliamentary Party decides. We are a Democratic Party,” Tagore said in the post.
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