"Entire Opposition INDIA bloc is filled with energy": Sachin Pilot on Rahul Gandhi being elected as LoP

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], June 26 : Congress leader Sachin Pilot said on Wednesday that Rahul Gandhi being elected Leader of Opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha will not only strengthen the party but also energise the entire Opposition.
"With Rahul Gandhi being elected the Leader of Opposition, not just the Congress but among the party workers and the entire Opposition INDIA bloc is filled with energy. Rahul Gandhi has always challenged this government and fought for transparency. He has strived to be the voice of people, whether in Parliament or outside. The hopes of the Opposition have increased as he has been elected as Leader of Opposition," Pilot said, speaking to reporters in Jaipur, after Rahul Gandhi was elected Leader of Opposition.
Pilot said that with Rahul Gandhi being elected Leader of Opposition, it will give hope to people who have voted for the INDIA bloc in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election.
"Lakhs and crores of people who have voted for INDIA bloc to keep democracy alive and protect the Constitution have the hope that Rahul Gandhi will strongly fight for truth in Parliament. It will not only give strength to the Congress but will also strengthen the idea that it stands for love, peace and fraternity and works to protect the Constitution," the former Deputy Speaker of Rajasthan said.
Speaking on the post of Deputy Speaker, which is conventionally held by the Opposition, Pilot said, "The tradition is that if the Speaker is chosen without an election, then the Deputy Speaker is allotted to the Opposition. When the UPA government was in power, the post of Deputy Speaker was always held by the Opposition."
On the NDA government that has come to power at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections, Pilot said that while the number of seats won by the Congress has doubled since the 2019 elections, the BJP's strength has reduced by almost 65 seats.
"This government is a coalition government and no party has an absolute majority. When the BJP went to vote, they had 303 MPs and today their strength stands at 240. They have been reduced by almost 65 MPs. Today, the Congress party has 102 MPs, up from 55 or 54 MPs. Our numbers have doubled," he said.
Speaking about the future of the NDA government, Pilot said, "The NDA has formed the government but no one knows what will happen in the future. The government has been formed with the help of two big partners."
Notably, Lok Sabha did not have a Leader of Opposition in the last 10 years because no political party, other than the ruling party, was able to secure the minimum Lok Sabha seats required to nominate a Leader of the Opposition.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the Congress emerged as the second-largest party, but did not had the numbers to claim LoP post. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress, again the second largest party, won 44 Lok Sabha seats -- way below the mark.
After the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls, the Congress emerged as the second-largest party in the election and improved its tally to 100, from 52 in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll. The total tally of the INDIA bloc stood at 234.