Overview

• Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s CLP appointment is expected to lead the Assembly Speaker to recognize him as Leader of the Opposition.
• The decisions close a year-long gap since the October 2024 polls, when the Congress won 37 seats to the BJP’s 48 and left the CLP post vacant.
• Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge approved the changes, with formal orders issued by party general secretary K. C. Venugopal.
• Rao Narender Singh, an OBC leader from the Ahirwal belt and former Haryana health minister, replaces Udai Bhan in a shift toward backward-class outreach.
• Hooda’s elevation followed pressure from most Congress MLAs, and he has recently pressed attacks on the state government’s crop procurement practices.