Jagan seeks LoP post, saying ‘second-largest party… even if just 11 MLAs’, Speaker yet to respond

Following his party’s drubbing in the recent Assembly elections, the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) seems to be in no mood to grant YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy the post of Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly.

The first indication came on June 21, when newly elected MLAs were sworn in. “By convention, the Leader of the House is sworn in first, followed by the LoP, after which the ministers take oath. However, Jagan was called to take oath after the ministers. This shows he is not being considered for the LoP’s post,” YSRCP leader Ravi Reddy said.

On Tuesday, Jagan shot off a letter to the Speaker seeking the status of principal Opposition for the YSRCP and the LoP position for himself. The Speaker is yet to respond.

Jagan wrote that the YSRCP had secured 40% of the votes in the Assembly polls and it was his “duty” towards the people of the state to raise their concerns on the floor of the Assembly as an Opposition leader. Citing the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the AP Assembly notified under Article 208 of the Constitution, he also claimed that a party does not require a certain number of seats to qualify as the principal Opposition.

The YSRCP chief also said that his party was technically the second largest party in the Assembly, even if it had just 11 MLAs, as the other three parties in the House – TDP, JSP and BJP – are in alliance. “The YSRCP is the sole Opposition party in the Assembly and the Speaker should recognise it as such,” he said.

The former CM also claimed the NDA as well as the Speaker were openly hostile towards him and this forced him to wonder if his party’s participation in the proceedings of the House would be of any value.

TDP spokesperson K Pattabhi