# Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha

The leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha (IAST: Rājya Sabhā ke Vipakṣa ke Netā) is an elected member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha who leads the official opposition in the Upper House of the Parliament of India. The leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha is the parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in the Rajya Sabha that is not in government.
The office holder ranks 7th in the Order of Precedence of India.

## History

In the Rajya Sabha until 1969, the title of opposition leader only existed de facto and had no formal recognition, status or privilege. Later, the leader of the opposition was given official recognition and their salary and allowances was extended by the Act, 1977. Since then, the leader in the Rajya Sabha should satisfy three conditions, namely,
* he should be a member of the House
* of the party in opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength and
* be recognised by the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha
In December 1969, the Congress Party (O) was recognised as the main opposition party in the parliament while its leader, Shyam Nandan Mishra plays the role of opposition leader. M. S. Gurupadaswamy was later elected the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha after Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra completed his tenure. However, Gurupadaswamy's appointment was declared with no formal announcement.

## Role and responsibilities

The Leader of Opposition (LoP) looks at government policies formulated for the rights of minorities and demands debate and criticises the government if ruling party tries to avoid debates on such policy. LoP also debates on the country's foreign relations and trade when it poses security threats on the national security.

## Privileges and salary

Opposition leaders play a significant role in government policies and their implementation by the ruling party. Sometimes, opposition leaders question government about the country's national security and development. After the constitution of India created a separate law on 1 November 1977 for opposition leaders, the salary was extended.

## List of leaders of the opposition in Rajya Sabha

Following members have been the leaders of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
| No. | Name (born – died) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Government | Leader of House | Leader of House | Chairman (Tenure) |
| No official opposition (13 May 1952 – 17 December 1969) ||||||||||||
| 1 | Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra (1920–2004) MP for Bihar | 18 December 1969 | 11 March 1971 | 1 year, 83 days | Indian National Congress (O) | Indira II | Kodardas Kalidas Shah | | Gopal Swarup Pathak (1969–1974) |
| 2 | M. S. Gurupadaswamy (1924–2011) MP for Uttar Pradesh | 24 March 1971 | 2 April 1972 | 1 year, 9 days | Indian National Congress (O) | Indira III | Uma Shankar Dikshit | | Gopal Swarup Pathak (1969–1974) |
| No official opposition (2 April 1972 – 30 March 1977) ||||||||||||
| 3 | Kamalapati Tripathi (1905–1990) MP for Uttar Pradesh | 30 March 1977 | 15 February 1978 | 322 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Desai | L. K. Advani | | B. D. Jatti (1974–1979) |
| 4 | Bhola Paswan Shastri (1914–1990) MP for Bihar | 24 February 1978 | 23 March 1978 | 27 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Desai | L. K. Advani | | B. D. Jatti (1974–1979) |
| (3) | Kamalapati Tripathi (1905–1990) MP for Uttar Pradesh | 23 March 1978 | 8 January 1980 | 1 year, 291 days | Indian National Congress (R) | Desai | L. K. Advani | | B. D. Jatti (1974–1979) |
| (3) | Kamalapati Tripathi (1905–1990) MP for Uttar Pradesh | 23 March 1978 | 8 January 1980 | 1 year, 291 days | Indian National Congress (Urs) | Charan | K. C. Pant | | Mohammad Hidayatullah (1979–1984) |
| 5 | L. K. Advani (born 1927) MP for Gujarat | 21 January 1980 | 7 April 1980 | 77 days | Janata Party | 4th Indira Gandhi ministry (1980- 84) | Pranab Mukherjee | | Mohammad Hidayatullah (1979–1984) |
| No official opposition (7 April 1980 – 18 December 1989) ||||||||||||
| 6 | P. Shiv Shankar (1929–2017) MP for Gujarat | 18 December 1989 | 2 January 1991 | 1 year, 15 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Vishwanath | M. S. Gurupadaswamy | | Shankar Dayal Sharma (1987–1992) |
| 6 | P. Shiv Shankar (1929–2017) MP for Gujarat | 18 December 1989 | 2 January 1991 | 1 year, 15 days | Indian National Congress (I) | Chandra Shekhar | Yashwant Sinha | | Shankar Dayal Sharma (1987–1992) |
| (2) | M. S. Gurupadaswamy (1924–2011) MP for Karnataka | 28 June 1991 | 21 July 1991 | 23 days | Janata Dal | Rao | Vacant | Vacant | | Shankar Dayal Sharma (1987–1992) |
| 7 | S. Jaipal Reddy (1942–2019) MP for Andhra Pradesh | 22 July 1991 | 29 June 1992 | 343 days | Janata Dal | Rao | Shankarrao Chavan | | Shankar Dayal Sharma (1987–1992) |
| 8 | Sikander Bakht (1918–2004) MP for Madhya Pradesh | 7 July 1992 | 16 May 1996 | 3 years, 314 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Rao | Shankarrao Chavan | |
| 8 | Sikander Bakht (1918–2004) MP for Madhya Pradesh | 7 July 1992 | 16 May 1996 | 3 years, 314 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Rao | Shankarrao Chavan | | K. R. Narayanan (1992–1997) |
| 9 | Shankarrao Chavan (1920–2004) MP for Maharashtra | 23 May 1996 | 1 June 1996 | 9 days | Indian National Congress | Vajpayee I | Sikander Bakht | | K. R. Narayanan (1992–1997) |
| (8) | Sikander Bakht (1918–2004) MP for Madhya Pradesh | 1 June 1996 | 19 March 1998 | 1 year, 291 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Deve Gowda | Inder Kumar Gujral | | K. R. Narayanan (1992–1997) |
| (8) | Sikander Bakht (1918–2004) MP for Madhya Pradesh | 1 June 1996 | 19 March 1998 | 1 year, 291 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Deve Gowda | H. D. Deve Gowda | | K. R. Narayanan (1992–1997) |
| (8) | Sikander Bakht (1918–2004) MP for Madhya Pradesh | 1 June 1996 | 19 March 1998 | 1 year, 291 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Gujral | Inder Kumar Gujral | | K. R. Narayanan (1992–1997) |
| (8) | Sikander Bakht (1918–2004) MP for Madhya Pradesh | 1 June 1996 | 19 March 1998 | 1 year, 291 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Gujral | Inder Kumar Gujral | | Krishan Kant (1997–2002) |
| 10 | Manmohan Singh (1932–2024) MP for Assam | 19 March 1998 | 22 May 2004 | 6 years, 64 days | Indian National Congress | Vajpayee II | Sikander Bakht | | Krishan Kant (1997–2002) |
| 10 | Manmohan Singh (1932–2024) MP for Assam | 19 March 1998 | 22 May 2004 | 6 years, 64 days | Indian National Congress | Vajpayee III | Jaswant Singh | | Krishan Kant (1997–2002) |
| 10 | Manmohan Singh (1932–2024) MP for Assam | 19 March 1998 | 22 May 2004 | 6 years, 64 days | Indian National Congress | Vajpayee III | Jaswant Singh | | Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (2002–2007) |
| 11 | Jaswant Singh (1938–2020) MP for Rajasthan | 3 June 2004 | 16 May 2009 | 4 years, 347 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Manmohan I | Manmohan Singh | | Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (2002–2007) |
| 11 | Jaswant Singh (1938–2020) MP for Rajasthan | 3 June 2004 | 16 May 2009 | 4 years, 347 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Manmohan I | Manmohan Singh | | Mohammad Hamid Ansari (2007–2017) |
| 12 | Arun Jaitley (1952–2019) MP for Gujarat | 3 June 2009 | 26 May 2014 | 4 years, 357 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Manmohan II | Manmohan Singh | | Mohammad Hamid Ansari (2007–2017) |
| 13 | Ghulam Nabi Azad (born 1949) MP for Jammu and Kashmir | 8 June 2014 | 10 February 2015 | 6 years, 252 days | Indian National Congress | Modi I | Arun Jaitley | | Mohammad Hamid Ansari (2007–2017) |
| 13 | Ghulam Nabi Azad (born 1949) MP for Jammu and Kashmir | 23 February 2015 | 15 February 2021 | 6 years, 252 days | Indian National Congress | Modi I | Arun Jaitley | | Mohammad Hamid Ansari (2007–2017) |
| 13 | Ghulam Nabi Azad (born 1949) MP for Jammu and Kashmir | 23 February 2015 | 15 February 2021 | 6 years, 252 days | Indian National Congress | Modi I | Arun Jaitley | | M. Venkaiah Naidu (2017–2022) |
| 13 | Ghulam Nabi Azad (born 1949) MP for Jammu and Kashmir | 23 February 2015 | 15 February 2021 | 6 years, 252 days | Indian National Congress | Modi II | Thawar Chand Gehlot | | M. Venkaiah Naidu (2017–2022) |
| 14 | Mallikarjun Kharge (born 1942) MP for Karnataka | 16 February 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 18 days | Indian National Congress | Modi II | Thawar Chand Gehlot | | M. Venkaiah Naidu (2017–2022) |
| 14 | Mallikarjun Kharge (born 1942) MP for Karnataka | 16 February 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 18 days | Indian National Congress | Modi II | Piyush Goyal | | M. Venkaiah Naidu (2017–2022) |
| 14 | Mallikarjun Kharge (born 1942) MP for Karnataka | 16 February 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 18 days | Indian National Congress | Modi II | Piyush Goyal | | Jagdeep Dhankhar (2022–present) |
| 14 | Mallikarjun Kharge (born 1942) MP for Karnataka | 16 February 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 18 days | Indian National Congress | Modi III | J. P. Nadda | | Jagdeep Dhankhar (2022–present) |

## Deputy leaders of the opposition in Rajya Sabha

The deputy leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha (IAST: Rājya Sabhā ke Vipakṣa ke Upar Netā) is an elected member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha who serves the deputy to opposition leader in the uper house of the Parliament of India.
| No. | Name (born – died) Constituency | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Leader of Opposition |
| 1 | S. S. Ahluwalia (born 1951) MP for Jharkhand | 3 June 2009 | 2 April 2012 | 2 years, 304 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Arun Jaitley |
| 2 | Ravi Shankar Prasad (born 1954) MP for Bihar | 20 July 2012 | 26 May 2014 | 1 year, 310 days | Bharatiya Janata Party | Arun Jaitley |
| 3 | Anand Sharma (born 1953) MP for Himachal Pradesh | 8 June 2014 | 2 April 2022 | 7 years, 298 days | Indian National Congress | Ghulam Nabi Azad |
| 3 | Anand Sharma (born 1953) MP for Himachal Pradesh | 8 June 2014 | 2 April 2022 | 7 years, 298 days | Indian National Congress | Mallikarjun Kharge |
| Interim | P. Chidambaram (born 1945) MP for Maharashtra (till Jun'22) MP for Tamil Nadu (from Jun'22) | 3 April 2022 | 13 March 2023 | 344 days | Indian National Congress | Mallikarjun Kharge |
| 4 | Pramod Tiwari (born 1952) MP for Rajasthan | 13 March 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 358 days | Indian National Congress | Mallikarjun Kharge |