LoP must serve on selection panels for a number of positions. However, the divided Congress is still no closer to choosing a name.
The Haryana government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is contemplating seeking legal advice to circumvent the requirement of a Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in selection committees for key appointments. This move comes as the Congress party, plagued by internal divisions, has failed to appoint an LoP more than six months after the BJP secured another term in the state.
The Congress in Haryana remains indecisive about selecting its legislature party leader, who would assume the role of LoP. Sources indicate that a decision is still weeks away, stalling the functioning of selection panels that include the LoP, alongside the Chief Minister and a minister, for posts such as the Chief Information Commissioner and 10 Information Commissioners.
The State Information Commission is currently understaffed, operating with only three members—Jagbir Singh, Pradeep Kumar Shekhawat, and Kulbir Chhikara—while over 7,200 appeals and complaints under the Right to Information Act remain pending. Sources suggest that former chief secretary T V S N Prasad is a leading candidate for the Chief Information Commissioner role, pending the convening of the selection committee.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini recently told the media, “We are consulting the Advocate General to explore legal pathways for proceeding with appointments delayed due to the absence of an LoP.” Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli added, “The Congress must decide on its legislature party leader. However, the government cannot delay its appointments and will take all legally permissible steps to move forward.”
A similar situation unfolded in Jharkhand, where the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led government approached the Supreme Court when the BJP failed to appoint an LoP four months into its term. In January, the Supreme Court directed the BJP to nominate an LoP within two weeks, and by March, Babulal Marandi was named the legislature party leader.
In Haryana, senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda refrained from commenting on the issue. However, Congress Rohtak MLA B B Batra argued that the government’s claim of being constrained by the absence of an LoP is misleading. Batra noted that the Congress would soon finalize its LoP and emphasized that only a few appointments require the LoP’s involvement in selection panels.
“The government can hold selection committee meetings without an LoP by including any senior opposition leader,” he said, citing the example of the central government in 2014. After the Congress failed to secure the LoP post in the Lok Sabha due to insufficient seats, the Modi government included Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, in various selection committees.
