Overview
- Mallikarjun Kharge took the oath as a Rajya Sabha member on Monday in the Vice‑President’s chamber, holding a copy of the Constitution and taking the oath in Hindi before Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan.
- The Rajya Sabha Secretariat formally recognised Kharge as Leader of the Opposition with effect from June 26, 2026, a status that carries statutory entitlements under the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act.
- Seven other newly elected or re‑elected members were sworn in the same day, including BJP MPs Tarun Chugh, Jitendra Kanzariya, Mansingh Parmar, M. Nagaraja, Rajendra Jain, Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi and Alka Singh.
- With the new members, reports put the BJP’s standalone strength at 114 and the NDA at about 150 in the 245‑member House, bringing the ruling coalition closer to the 163‑seat two‑thirds threshold needed to pass constitutional amendments.
- Kharge said he will press public issues and coordinate INDIA bloc partners during the upcoming Monsoon Session, and the cross‑party presence of senior leaders at the ceremony signalled norms of parliamentary engagement even as seat shifts change legislative math.