Congress at the receiving end: Will it get status of leader of opposition?

New Delhi, May 16: The

, which was once known for its dominance in India's electoral politics, is in a danger of not getting the status of even the leader of the

. A party needs to win at least 10 per cent of the Lok Sabha seats to obtain the status of an opposition leader but it was struggling to manage 54 seats till the last reports came in.

According to constitutional experts, if no party can reach 54, there would be no leader of the opposition. There will be different opposition parties and each will have their own leader.

A recognised opposition leader is generally a member of different selection committees but in this case, a specific will have to be taken. The leader of the largest opposition party will be eligible to be a member of such committees.

How the Lok Sabha looked when a party won single majority:

1952: Congress had won 364, CPI 16, SP 12, KMPP 9, Ind 38, Others 50

1957: Congress 371, CPI 21, PSP 19, GP 7, Ind 42, Others 28

1962: Congress 361, CPI 29, SP 18, JS 14, Ind 20, Others 52

1967: Congress 283, SP 44, BJS 35, DMK 25, Ind 35, Others 98

1971: Congress 352, CPI(M) 25, CPI 23, DMK 23, BJS 22, Ind 14, Others 26.9

1980: Congress 353, JNP(S) 41, CPI(M) 37, DMK 16, Ind 9, Others 42

1984: Congress 415, TDP 30, CPI(M) 22, ADK 12, Ind 13, Others 50

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