RS Deputy Chairman election on Thursday; contest likely

After 26 years, the Rajya Deputy Chairman’s post will witness an election.

The Opposition parties met here on Monday to decide its candidate as the Centre has informally communicated to them that it would field the JD(U) Harivansh Narayan Singh.

The Opposition parties seem to have decided to contest the NDA’s nominee, but a decision on their choice will be taken only on Tuesday at yet another meeting of the leaders. “A person from the middle benches will contest,” a senior Opposition member told

BusinessLine. The Congress leadership has approached parties such as the SP, NCP, BSP, DMK and the Trinamool Congress to suggest a name that will even be acceptable to the partners of the ruling alliance. Talks have taken place between senior Opposition leaders and parties such as AIADMK, PDP and the Shiv Sena.

“The election to the post of Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha will be held at 11 am on August 9,” Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu announced in the House. In the evening, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, and Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Satish Chandra Mishra (BSP), Praful Patel (NCP), D Raja (CPI), Derek O’Brien (TMC), Misa Bharti (RJD), and TK Rangarajan (CPI-M) met the meeting at Azad’s chamber in Parliament.

The BJP has informally told the Congress leadership that JD(U)’s Harivansh Narayan Singh will be its candidate.

The Deputy Chairman is usually elected by consensus. In 1992, Congress’ Najma Heptullah defeated TDP’s Renuka Chowdhury in an election. Heptullah later joined the BJP, and Chowdhury is with the Congress now. The nomination papers will have to be filed before noon on 8 August.

The post is vacant since June this year following the retirement of PJ Kurien.