Gandhi declared himself their advocate in Parliament, urging the central government to swiftly provide comprehensive support to the state.

In the previous two Lok Sabhas, the largest opposition party Congress could not get the post as it did not have the requisite numbers, which is one-tenth of the strength of the House.  In the 16th Lok Sabha, the Congress had 44 MPs, while in the 17th Lok Sabha, it had 55.

At a press conference after the extended CWC meeting, party general secretary KC Venugopal announced that all members had unanimously asked Gandhi to take on the Leader of Opposition position.

Batting for Rahul Gandhi to take on the mantle of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Tharoor said the former Congress president was unquestionably the star of this Lok Sabha performance.