Debabrata Saikia reinstated as leader of the opposition

GUWAHATI: The Assam Assembly Secretariat today reinstated the leader of the opposition status of Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia nearly a month after withdrawing the status from him.

The development came after the Gauhati High Court stayed the withdrawal notification.

In a fresh notification today, the Assembly Secretariat said all facilites entitled to the leader of the opposition have been reinstated for Saikia.

The status was withdrawn from him after the Congress' strength in the state assembly was reduced to 20 legislators after sitting MLAs Ajanta Neog and Rajdeep Goala had resigned to join the BJP. The withdrawal notification had cited insufficient number of MLAs in the house to hold the leader of the opposition post.

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The Congress, which had won 26 seats in the 2016 elections, currently has 19 MLAs in the Assembly. The opposition also comprises 14 All India United Democratic Front MLAs.