Oppn to boycott RS deputy chairman poll, flags lack of LS deputy speaker

The Opposition on Thursday announced it will boycott the election of the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, citing the Centre’s failure to appoint a deputy speaker in the Lok Sabha for seven years and lack of consultation on the matter.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said the decision was taken as a mark of protest against what he described as an unprecedented and “unilateral” approach by the government.

“First, the Modi government has not appointed a deputy speaker in the Lok Sabha for seven years. This has never happened before,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

He also raised objections to the process surrounding the candidature of Harivansh, whose second term as deputy chairman ended on 9 April. A day later, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu and is now the NDA’s candidate for a third term.

“Never before has a person nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha been considered for the post of its deputy chairman,” Ramesh said, adding that the move breaks with established parliamentary conventions.

He further alleged that there had been no “meaningful consultations” with Opposition parties. “For these three reasons, and as a mark of protest — but without any disrespect to the very learned Shri Harivansh — the Opposition has regretfully decided to boycott the election,” he said.

The election for the deputy chairman is scheduled for 17 April, with the ruling NDA expected to push for Harivansh’s re-election.

Sources said leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha and Union minister J.P. Nadda has been reaching out to various parties in an effort to build consensus around Harivansh’s candidature.

However, the Congress, Trinamool Congress and Left parties have objected to the government’s urgency in filling the Rajya Sabha post while leaving the Lok Sabha deputy speaker’s position vacant since 2019.

The Opposition has maintained that the absence of a Deputy Speaker undermines parliamentary norms, and has linked its protest to what it calls a broader pattern of sidelining institutional processes.

With PTI inputs