Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reappointed as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and seven other newly-elected members of the Rajya Sabha took oath on Monday (June 29, 2026). Mr. Kharge was also reappointed as the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha with effect from June 26.

After taking oath, Mr. Kharge expressed gratitude to the Congress leadership, including Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, as well as Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan and Deputy Chairman Harivansh. He also extended greetings to colleagues in the INDIA bloc and the wider Opposition.

Mr. Kharge said he was looking forward to “even stronger coordination” during the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to make “the government of the day more accountable”.

“We will continue to raise the burning concerns, aspirations and voices of the people with sincerity, conviction and determination. That remains our foremost responsibility, and I shall discharge it with the utmost commitment,” Mr. Kharge said.

He took oath separately in Chairman Mr. Radhakrishnan’s chamber. Mr. Radhakrishnan congratulated Mr. Kharge and said the Upper House would benefit from his long experience. Ms. Gandhi and other Congress leaders — Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K.C. Venugopal, Mukul Wasnik, Jairam Ramesh and Syed Naseer Hussain — were present during Mr. Kharge’s oath-taking. Mr. Kharge’s wife, daughter and granddaughter, along with her spouse, were also present.

Mr. Radhakrishnan later administered the oath to seven other newly-elected members in the Rajya Sabha chamber — Mansingh Meraman Parmar, Tarun Chugh, Alka Singh, Jitendra Meghjibhai Kanzariya, Rajendra Hiralal Jain, M. Nagaraja and Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi.

Four members took oath in Hindi, one in Kannada, one in Punjabi and one in Manipuri. While two members are from Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur and Rajasthan sent one member each to the Upper House.