NDA’s candidate, Harivansh Narayan Singh of the JD(U), was elected Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman on Wednesday after winning 125 votes in the House. Opposition candidate and senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad received only 105 votes.
The position of Deputy Chairman is significant as s/he assumes charge in the absence of the Chairperson/Vice-President. It is also critical to ensure smooth running of the Rajya Sabha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was present during voting, walked up to Singh to congratulate him after the process was complete. Union Minister Arun Jaitley, meanwhile, made his first public appearance in three months today as he entered the Parliament complex for the election.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who rose to spoke following the election, said, “In elections, some on wins and someone loses. But the Deputy Chairman is no longer a part of any single party. He belongs to the country now. In fact, I believe that Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the House should in-fact support the Opposition as they are more undernourished than that of the ruling party.”
