New Delhi: Opposition parties walked out of Parliament’s Upper House on Friday as Harivansh was re-elected unopposed as deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha for a third consecutive term.
The Opposition decided to boycott the election, with no candidate being fielded against Harivansh after President Droupadi Murmu nominated the Janata Dal (United) leader to the Upper House.
Explaining the stand of Congress, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the government should have first filled the Lok Sabha deputy speaker’s post, which has been lying vacant since 2019. “It would have been better if they had appointed anyone they wished to that post,” Kharge said.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Samajwadi Party (SP) members questioned the timing of the election and the government’s approach to key parliamentary appointments.
“What was the need to rush this election during a special three-day sitting when Assembly polls are underway in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu?” TMC’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien asked, repeating Kharge’s sentiment that no Lok Sabha deputy speaker has been appointed in seven years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Harivansh, saying that his re-election was a reflection of the confidence in the way he conducted proceedings, carrying all sides along, and also improving proceedings in the Upper House.
A veteran Hindi journalist from Bihar, Harivansh worked with Prabhat Khabar for 25 years, and also served as its editor-in-chief. Before that, he worked at Dharamyug and the Ravivar weekly.
Harivansh was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2014 via the Janata Dal (United) and has been deputy chairman, Rajya Sabha, since 2018.
