Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson election on Thursday: All you need to know

After the no-confidence motion, which was defeated by the NDA government, the election to the post of deputy chairperson in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday has become the latest platform to showcase Opposition unity. The Opposition parties, led by the Congress, will look to retain the post after having burnt its fingers during the election to the Vice President when JD(U) pulled out of the Opposition camp to side with the NDA. The NDA, which is in minority in the Upper House, will be keen to have a candidate of its choice in the deputy chairperson post as it will help the Centre in passing crucial legislation with less than a year left for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The post of the deputy chairperson had been lying vacant since June following the retirement of PJ Kurien, who had been elected to the Rajya Sabha on a Congress ticket from Kerala. The current strength of Rajya Sabha is 244 and support of 123 members will be needed for a win in the full house.

Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has announced in the House that the election will be held at 11 am on August 9, the penultimate day of the Monsoon session. He also suggested that the deputy chairperson should be elected by consensus. The nomination papers will have to be filed before noon on August 8.

Article 89 of the Constitution stipulates that the vacancy for the post of Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson has to be filled up at the earliest. “The council of States shall, as soon as may be, choose a member of the council to be Deputy a thereof and, so often as the office of Deputy Chairman becomes vacant, the council shall choose another member to be Deputy chairman thereof,” states clause 2 of Article 89.

According to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of Rajya Sabha, in the absence of a deputy chairman, the vice-president may nominate from among the members of the council a panel of not more than six vice-chairperson to preside over the council.

The NDA is likely to field JD(U)’s Harivansh Narayan Singh for the post. The first-time MP representing Bihar is a former journalist and former editor-in-chief of Hindi daily Prabhat Khabar. Singh was one of the three JD(U) MPs elected unopposed from Bihar in 2014.

Meanwhile, NCP’s Vandana Chavan has emerged as the likely Opposition candidate for the post of deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha but a final decision is still awaited. Following an all-party meeting on Tuesday, the Opposition concluded that Chavan would be able to get the support of all opposition parties and even a few of NDA allies. An NCP candidate from Maharashtra may also be able to get the support of disgruntled NDA ally Shiv Sena.

Earlier, the names of DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, nominated member K T S Tulsi and BJD’s Prasanna Acharya (subject to the party joining the Opposition block) was also doing the rounds.

The Opposition, sources said, has at least 116 votes, including two of YSR Congress. With one seat vacant, the strength of Rajya Sabha is 244 and the winning candidate requires 123 votes. Besides the nominated and Independent members affiliated to it, BJP, which has 73 members on its own, is banking on the support of 13 members of AIADMK, nine of BJD, six of TRS and two members of YSR Congress to sail through. If all four parties support the NDA candidate, then the numbers add up to 126.

While all eyes are on fence-sitters such as TRS and BJD, sources in opposition parties said the party of Chandrasekhar Rao is likely to go with the NDA. In a major boost to the Opposition camp, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP is certain to go against the ruling party candidate.

However, there is some bad news for the NDA too. Sources said the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is unhappy at the party’s move to pitch a JD(U) candidate and may abstain from the election to the post of deputy chairman.

Opposition parties are also in touch with BJD, which has not opened its cards yet. “Because of assembly elections in Odisha next year, BJD may abstain or be absent during voting,” a senior opposition leader said.