As the dust of the Indian elections settles, the first session of the new Parliament which met a few days back signaled a mix of continuity and change.

Continuity came in the form of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that has again emerged as the single largest party with Narendra Modi getting a third historic term as Prime Minister.

What has changed this time around is that this is a coalition government, with the BJP having to accept two regional parties as partners in remain in power.

So far, the two regional parties, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal United (JDU) seem to be getting along well with the BJP and the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government appears stable.

The big change is the face of the Opposition in the country, particularly that of the Congress Party. In 2014, the Congress managed a mere 44 seats and in 2019 the seat share was again a dismal 52. This time the party has a strength of 99 in the Lower House of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and going by past precedent, also gets to elect a Leader of Opposition (LoP).

Ideally, an opposition party needs at least 10 per cent of the total seats in the Lok Sabha to have a LoP. This is not a constitutional post but is important given the optics and the fact that the LoP has a say in important bureaucratic appointments.

After some delay and suspense, Rahul Gandhi accepted the post of Leader of Opposition and the first day of the session of the new Parliament saw him in his new avatar. It is a sign that he is no longer shying away from positions of responsibility.

One of the biggest critiques of Rahul has been his lack of experience in administrative work and also his perceived reluctance to take up leadership roles.

This role now puts to rest these doubts though his performance will be judged in the coming days. The Opposition, and that includes other parties like Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) are showing new signs of confidence.

There is a sense that the people of this country would like the Opposition to play its rightful role. Checks and balances are important to ensure the government of the is held accountable. For almost a decade now, in India, one party dominated the discourse.

The voters, this time, have done a balancing act that ensures a stable government and a strong opposition from across the country. The strength of India has always has been its diversity and its range of opinions on any subject.

For Rahul, this is his moment – a sort of coming of age after sweating it out for 25 years – and becoming a leader on his own terms. For years, the affairs of the Congress Party have been helmed by his mother Sonia Gandhi. Rahul and his sister were always around but were never quite the ones who were in charge.

Though the party has always been reluctant to project him as PM, his LoP role will give him a chance to go shoulder to shoulder with Modi and showcase his leadership qualities.

He is a shadow PM in a sense. His actions and his words will be closely observed and judged. The Gandhi scion has this chance to prove his mettle as he will have part of various selection committees responsible for appointing heads of statutory bodies like the Central Vigilance Commission, the Central Information Commission, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the National Human Rights Commission of India, and the Lokpal, among others.

It will also provide him with an opportunity to voice his dissent on policies that have far-reaching consequences for the country and will be his first steps in learning policy and working with the government.

This mandate gives the Opposition’s chance to unite for a better India; to hold the government to account and to make the voice of the voiceless heard.

A stable government and a strong Opposition are the signs of a healthy democracy. The people have done their part. The government and the Opposition have their work cut out – to set the development agenda and deliver on their promises.

And in Rahul Gandhi, India has a leader who is waiting in the wings. His time is now. – Simran Sodhi is Executive Editor of nrifocus.com