What is the role of a Lok Sabha’s Leader of Opposition?

• The position of Leader of Opposition which was vacant in Lok Sabha for 10 years has finally been occupied.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

• The position of Leader of Opposition was officially described in The Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977.
• The Act describes the Leader of Opposition as a member of the Council of States or the House of the People, as the case may be, who is, for the time being, the Leader in that House of the party in opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength and recognised as such by the Chairman of the Council of States or the Speaker of the House of the People.
• A mysterious rule is often quoted by some self-styled experts, which requires a party to have at least 10 percent of the members of the House for the Speaker to recognise someone as the Leader of the Opposition. .

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha: the position, role, responsibilities

• The Leader of Opposition sits in the front row to the left of the Chair, and enjoys certain privileges on ceremonial occasions like escorting the Speaker-elect to the rostrum.
• The Leader of Opposition is also entitled to a seat in the front row during the Address by the President to both Houses of Parliament.
• The main duty of the Leader of Opposition is to serve as the voice of the opposition in the House.
• An official booklet on Parliament published in 2012 says the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha “is considered as a shadow Prime Minister with a shadow Cabinet, ready to take over the administration if the Government resigns or is defeated on the floor of the House”.
• The Leader of Opposition is the opposition’s representative in the high-powered committees headed by the Prime Minister for appointment to key posts such as the Director of CBI, the Central Vigilance Commissioner and Chief Information Commissioner, the Chairperson and Members of the National Human Rights Commission, and the Lokpal.
• In order of precedence, the Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha come at No. 7, along with Union Cabinet Ministers, the National Security Advisor, the Principal Secretary to the PM, the Vice-Chairperson of the NITI Aayog, former PMs, and Chief Ministers.