New Delhi: Nominated member Harivansh is likely to be elected Rajya Sabha deputy chairman as five notices have been received in his favour and the opposition has not given any notice proposing its candidate.
The election for the post of deputy chairman will take place at 11 AM Friday.
The Office of the Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, had fallen vacant after the term of Harivansh ended April 9, and Chairman C P Radhakrishnan has under Rule 7 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), fixed Friday as the date for holding the election.
The last date and time for receipt of notices of motions for election was 12 noon Thursday.
Sources said five notices of motions have been received in favour of Harivansh for electing him to the post, and none by the opposition.
The opposition has decided to boycott the election as a mark of protest against the Modi government not appointing a deputy speaker in Lok Sabha for seven years.
While leader of the house J P Nadda moved the first motion, which was seconded by S Phangnon Konyak, the second one was moved by BJP president Nitin Nabin and was seconded by BJP MP Brij Lal.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has given another notice, which was seconded by BJP MP Surendra Singh Nagar and JDU MP and working president Sanjay Kumar Jha has also moved a notice, which was seconded by RLM MP Upendra Kushwaha.
Another notice has been given by RLD MP and Union minister Jayant Chaudhary, which was seconded by Shiv Sena MP Milind Murli Deora, in favour of Harivansh.
The sources said no notice of motion has been received from the Opposition before the stipulated time, and accordingly, the election to the office of the deputy chairman is likely to be unopposed.
In all likelihood, the first motion by Nadda and seconded by Konyak may be adopted by the House by a voice vote.
The sources added that the chairman will declare Harivansh as elected unopposed to the post of deputy chairman.
He will subsequently be conducted to the chair by the Leader of the House and from the Opposition in accordance with established convention, they said.
Harivansh has been a two-term deputy chairman of the house, and if elected, it will be his third term.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the government had not had any meaningful consultations on the matter either.
He added that the opposition hopes “Harivansh 3.0” will be more accommodative of and receptive to its requests.
“First, the Modi government has not appointed a Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha for 7 years. This has never happened before.
“Second, the Deputy Speaker’s counterpart in the Rajya Sabha is the Deputy Chairman. Shri Harivansh’s second term ended on April 9th. A day later, he was nominated by the President of India as a member of the Rajya Sabha, and he is now the NDA’s candidate for Deputy Chairman for a third term,” Ramesh said in a post on social media.
Never before has a person nominated by the president to the Rajya Sabha been considered for the post of its deputy chairman, he said.
He also said all this is being done without any meaningful consultations with the Opposition.
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