WEB DESK
The Indian National Congress today named Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as leader of the party in the 17th Lok Sabha. Chowdhury is the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) from the Berhampore Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. He has held the seat since 1999.
Speculation was rife that Chowdhury could be given a key role after he accompanied senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to the all-party meeting on June 16, ahead of the parliament session.
Speaking to the media, Chowdhury had said earlier on June 18, “Ghulam Nabi Azad ji briefed everyone about the discussions that took place in the all-party meeting. We discussed key issues and will also hold meetings with Opposition parties. No discussions on name of Leader of Opposition.”
According to reports, Kerala leader Kodikunnil Suresh, party spokesperson Manish Tewari and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor also in fray.
Mallikarjun Kharge was the leader of the Congress party in the 16th Lok Sabha. However, he lost his seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.