GUWAHATI: Senior Congress leader and six-time legislator Wazed Ali Choudhury was officially accorded the status of Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, June 4.
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The announcement was made by the Assam Legislative Assembly, which stated that Choudhury, the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), was formally recognised as the Leader of the Opposition by Assembly Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass on Tuesday.
Choudhury represented the South Salmara constituency for five terms before being elected from the newly created Birsing Jarua constituency in the recent Assam Assembly elections. He was chosen as the CLP leader following the polls and has now been formally granted the Opposition leader's status.
The recognition comes after amendments made last year to the rules governing the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition. Under the revised provisions, a party or alliance requires the support of 13 MLAs to qualify for the post, compared to the earlier requirement of 21 legislators.
In the recently concluded Assembly elections, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a decisive mandate, winning 102 seats in the 126-member House. The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged with 82 seats, its highest-ever tally in Assam, while the Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People's Front won 10 seats each.
On the Opposition side, the Indian National Congress-led alliance secured 21 seats, including 19 won by Congress and two by Raijor Dal. The All India United Democratic Front won two seats, while the All India Trinamool Congress secured one seat.