| Post: | Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha |
| Native Name: | Hindi: Rājya Sabhā ke Vipakṣa ke Netā |
| Insignia: | Emblem_of_India.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 50px |
| Insigniacaption: | Emblem of India |
| Incumbent: | Mallikarjun Kharge |
| Incumbentsince: | 16 February 2021 |
| Termlength: | 5 years |
| Appointer: | While parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in the Rajya Sabha that is not in government |
| Residence: | New Delhi |
| Deputy: | Pramod Tiwari, INC (13 March 2023-Incumbent) |
| Salary: | (excl. allowances) per month |
The Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha (IAST: Hindi: Rājya Sabhā ke Vipakṣa ke Netā) is an elected Member of Rajya Sabha who leads the official opposition in the Upper House of the Parliament of India. The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha is the parliamentary chairperson of the largest political party in the Rajya Sabha that is not in government.
The office holder ranks 7th in the Order of Precedence of India.
In the Rajya Sabha until 1969, the title of opposition leader only existed de facto and had no formal recognition, status or privilege. Later, the leader of the opposition was given official recognition and their salary and allowances was extended by the Act, 1977. Since then, the leader in the Rajya Sabha should satisfy three conditions, namely,
In December 1969, the Congress Party (O) was recognised as the main opposition party in the parliament while its leader, Shyam Nandan Mishra plays the role of opposition leader. M. S. Gurupadaswamy was later elected the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha after Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra completed his tenure. However, Gurupadaswamy's appointment was declared with no formal announcement.
The Leader of Opposition (LoP) looks at government policies formulated for the rights of minorities and demands debate and criticises the government if ruling party tries to avoid debates on such policy. LoP also debates on the country's foreign relations and trade when it poses security threats on the national security.[1] [2]
Opposition leaders plays a significant role in government policies and their implementation by the ruling party. Sometimes, opposition leaders questions government about the country's national security and development.[3] After the constitution of India created a separate law on 1 November 1977 for opposition leaders, the salary was extended.[4]
Following members have been the leaders of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
| Portrait | Name (borndied) Constituency | Term of office | Political party | Leader of Opposition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | S. S. Ahluwalia | 3 June 2009 | 2 April 2012 | Bharatiya Janata Party | Arun Jaitley | ||||
| 2 | Ravi Shankar Prasad | 20 July 2012 | 26 May 2014 | ||||||
| 3 | Anand Sharma | 8 June 2014 | 2 April 2022 | Indian National Congress | Ghulam Nabi Azad | ||||
| Mallikarjun Kharge | |||||||||
| Interim | P. Chidambaram | 3 April 2022 | 13 March 2023 | ||||||
| 4 | Pramod Tiwari | 13 March 2023 | Incumbent | ||||||