Congress appoints Gaurav Gogoi as deputy leader in Lok Sabha, K Suresh to be chief whip

Party appoints Gaurav Gogoi as deputy leader in Lok Sabha. Chief whip and two more whips also appointed ahead of the budget session.

Published on: Jul 14, 2024, 13:40:35 IST

By HT News Desk

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Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP)'s chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday informing him about the appointment of the party's Deputy Leader, Chief Whip and two more whips in the Lok Sabha, the party's general secretary KC Venugopal posted on X.

Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and K C Venugopal during a meeting at party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence. (File image) (PTI)

The party's MP from Assam's Jorhat constituency, Gaurav Gogoi, has been appointed as the party's Deputy Leader. Rahul Gandhi is the party's Leader and also the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Kodikunnil Suresh, the MP from Kerala's Mavelikara constituency, has been appointed as the party's chief whip in the lower house. Suresh was put up as the opposition INDIA bloc's candidate for the position of Lok Sabha speaker during the inaugural session of the 18th Lok Sabha.

Suresh is an eight-time MP of the Congress party from Kerala. He had accused the ruling NDA of breaking parliamentary convention by refusing to offer the position of Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker to the opposition party.

Also read | Who is K Suresh, INDIA bloc's candidate for Lok Sabha Speaker post?

According to PRS legislative research, in parliamentary parlance, a party whip is a designated official to issue directions to the members of the house from time to time. A whip may refer to oral or written instruction to abide by certain directions of the designated party whip. Disobeying the orders of the party whip is also one of the grounds for disqualification of an MP under the Anti-defection law in India.

The Joint Whip of the party will be Manickam Tagore and Mohammad Jawed.

Tagore is a third-time MP from Virudhunagar constituency in Tamil Nadu. He is the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of the state of Andra Pradesh.

Also read | Bypoll results: INDIA bloc secures landslide win with 10 of 13 seats, BJP bags 2; independent 1

Jawed is a two-time MP from Bihar's Kishanganj constituency. He is also a four-time Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the same seat and also served as a minister in the Bihar government. He also serves as a secretary in AICC.

"Congratulating the new appointees, Venugopal added that “Guided by LOP Shri @RahulGandhi ji, the Congress and INDIA parties will energetically champion the people's causes in the Lok Sabha.”

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