Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman election Jairam Ramesh’s big announcement, opposition parties decided to boycott

News India Live, Digital Desk: Today (16 April 2026) a big political stir was seen in the Rajya Sabha. Senior Congress leader and General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has announced that the opposition parties (INDIA alliance) have decided to completely boycott the Rajya Sabha Deputy Speaker election to be held tomorrow i.e. on 17 April 2026. 3 main reasons for the boycott Jairam Ramesh shared the three main arguments behind this decision on the social media platform ‘ Speaker) has not been appointed, which has never happened before in parliamentary history. Objection to the member nominated by the President: NDA has made Harivansh Narayan Singh (JDU) its candidate for this post for the third time. According to Jairam Ramesh, Harivansh’s second term ended on April 9, a day after he was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member by the President. The opposition says that for the first time in parliamentary history, a member nominated by the President is being considered for the post of Deputy Chairman. Lack of consultation: The opposition alleged that the government did not hold any meaningful consultation with the opposition parties regarding the election and selection of the candidate for this important post. Harivansh Narayan Singh: Contender for the third time. 69-year-old Harivansh Narayan Singh, who is originally a resident of Ranchi, Jharkhand and has been a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar, He was also elected Deputy Chairman in 2018 and 2020. This time NDA is preparing to make him sit on this chair again. However, the opposition has clarified that this boycott is not due to any personal disrespect towards them, but is in protest against the working style of the government. Tomorrow’s program Date: 17 April 2026 Time: 11:00 am (after the commencement of Rajya Sabha proceedings) Process: The new Deputy Chairman will be elected under the rules of the House (Rule 7). Despite this boycott by the opposition, on the basis of numbers, the victory of the NDA candidate is considered almost certain.