Harivansh elected unopposed as Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha for the third time, opposition did not field a candidate, PM Modi congratulated

New Delhi, 17 April. Nominated member Harivansh was elected unopposed as the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha on Friday. This is the third term of Harivansh, who came to politics from journalism, as Deputy Chairman. Union Minister and House leader JP Nadda moved a motion for the election of Harivansh and S Phangnon Konyak supported the motion. After the motion was passed by voice vote, Harivansh was elected Deputy Chairman for the third time. A total of five proposals were presented in favor of Harivansh for the post of Deputy Chairman. After the motion was passed, Chairman CP Radhakrishnan announced, “I declare that Harivansh ji has been elected Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.”

After this, the Chairman requested House Leader Nadda and Opposition Leader Mallikarjun Kharge to take Harivansh to the designated seat of the Deputy Chairman. Both the leaders escorted Harivansh to the Deputy Chairman’s seat in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This seat is near the seat of the leader of the opposition. The post of Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha had become vacant after Harivansh’s tenure in the Upper House ended on April 9. After this he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Draupadi Murmu. Harivansh took the oath of membership of the Upper House on 10 April. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge congratulated Harivansh on his election to the post of Deputy Speaker. This is the first time that a nominated member has been elected Deputy Chairman.

Congratulating Harivansh, Prime Minister Modi said that being elected Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha for the third consecutive time is in itself a deep proof of how much confidence the House has in him. Modi said the House has benefited greatly from Harivansh’s experience in the past and his efforts to take everyone along. “This is a tribute to his experience and intuitive working style,” he said. He said that under the leadership of Harivansh, the efficiency of the House has seen an increase and he not only runs the House but also enriches it with his life experiences. This is the first time that a nominated member has been elected Deputy Chairman.

Harivansh has previously been a journalist. Kharge expressed hope that the Deputy Chairman will take care of the opposition and give them enough time in the House to present their views. He expressed hope that in his third term, Harivansh will give more importance to the opposition to keep democracy strong. The Congress leader also said that the post of Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha being vacant since 2019 is painful for him. He asked why this post has been vacant for seven years. “This is contrary to the spirit of the Constitution.” Earlier, members of Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress walked out of the House while the motion for Harivansh’s election was being passed.

A total of five resolutions were presented in support of Harivansh. Nadda presented the first proposal. The second proposal was presented by BJP President Nitin Naveen which was supported by Brij Lal. Another proposal was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, which was supported by Surendra Singh Nagar. The fourth proposal was moved by JDU MP and working president Sanjay Kumar Jha, which was supported by RLM’s Upendra Kushwaha. Apart from this, the proposal given by RLD MP and Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary was supported by Shiv Sena MP Milind Murali Deora.