DHAKA: Former railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge will be the leader of the Congress in the 16th Lok Sabha.

Party leader Janardan Dwivedi said on Monday, reports Hindustan Times.

The first session of the new Lok Sabha begins on Wednesday and will continue for a week.

Following the Congress’ worst-ever showing in the 2014 general elections, in which it won just 44 of the 543 seats, speculations were rife about who would lead the party in the Lower House, where the ruling National Democratic Alliance has 336 members.

Among the names doing the rounds was that of former parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath, an experienced MP and one of the few Congress bigwigs who tasted victory in the Elections 2014.

He, however, was appointed as the protem Speaker in the 16th Lok Sabha recently.

The Congress’ announcement on Monday finally put an end to the speculations over who would lead the party in the Lower House.

Septuagenarian Kharge defeated Bharatiya Janata Party’s Revunaik Belamagi and Janata Dal(Secular)’s Dhulappa Gundappa to retain the Gulbarga seat in Karnataka in the general elections this year.

BDST: 2023 HRS, JUNE 02, 2014