File Photo: First session of the Delhi Assembly, February 2015.
BJP leader Vijendra Gupta was today made Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Delhi Assembly despite the BJP having just three seats in the 70-member House which is woefully short of the required numbers to get the key post.
Speaker Ram Niwas Goyal recognised Mr Gupta as the Leader of Opposition with immediate effect.
"The Honourable Speaker has recognised Shri Vijender Gupta, Member of Legislative Assembly, who is leader of the House of the party in Opposition to the government having greatest numerical strength, as Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi with immediate effect," a notification issued by the Delhi Legislative Assembly Secretariat said today.
Interestingly, the Congress had been denied the post of Leader Of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on the contention that it did not have enough numbers to qualify for it.
The issue was decided by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan despite the UPA constituents writing to her that they together have numbers in the House for Congress to gain the seat.
Congress had secured just 44 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha.
The move by the Assembly Speaker apparently came as a surprise with Mr Gupta telling PTI that his party had not demanded the post.
"Granting of LOP post to the BJP was victory of democratic values," he said, adding, his party had approached the Lieutenant Governor over alleged violation of Assembly Rules.
He said the rules in Delhi Assembly were clear under which the largest opposition party needed to be given the post and the Kejriwal Government had come under attack for not doing so in the last two months.