Hours after filing his nomination form for the Congress presidential election on Friday, Mallikarjun Kharge had sent his resignation from the post of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Rajya Sabha to incumbent party chief Sonia Gandhi. Though Mr. Kharge did so in keeping with the Congress’ Udaipur declaration on the “one man one post” principle, a senior person in the LoP’s office told The Hindu that he wanted Ms. Gandhi to choose the party’s LoP nominee in the Rajya Sabha. “He [Mr. Kharge] doesn’t want to choose his own successor when he becomes the party president. So, he wants Ms. Gandhi to choose the next LoP as soon as possible,“ the source cited above said.
In terms of seniority and experience, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh are the two most serious contenders for the LoP’s position. But given that Mr. Kharge, considered a favourite to be the next party chief, is from south India, Mr. Singh may have an edge. The Congress may not want to have both the party president and the LoP from south India.
