Karnataka Dy CM Shivakumar bats for Rahul Gandhi as LoP in Parliament

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 7 (ANI): Days after the Lok Sabha poll results, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday pitched for party leader Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament.
"We want Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament...Rahul Gandhi said to us today that we should win the hearts of people who didn't vote for us," Shivakumar said.
"Today, in Bengaluru, Rahul Gandhi met MPs of the party who lost and won the polls. During the meeting, he emphasised the fact that we will continue to fight against the Central government", he added.
Earlier today, Gandhi held a meeting with the party candidates who took part in the Lok Sabha polls at the Congress Bhavan in Bengaluru.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar were also present at the meeting.
Having seen favourable outcomes in the Lok Sabha polls, there is a clamour within the Congress party for Gandhi to take the position as the LoP in the parliament.
In the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, the Congress bagged nine seats with the vote share being 45.43%.
According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP won 240 seats, much lower than its 2019 tally of 303. The Congress, on the other hand, registered a strong improvement, winning 99 seats. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 292 seats, the INDIA bloc crossed the 230 mark, posing stiff competition, and defying all predictions. (ANI)