Opposition to Boycott Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Election

The Opposition has announced a boycott of the upcoming election for the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, in protest against the Union government’s failure to appoint a Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha for the past seven years. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh made the announcement on Thursday, accusing the government of disregarding parliamentary conventions and bypassing meaningful consultation with Opposition parties.

In a post on X, Ramesh said the decision to boycott was rooted in three key concerns, beginning with the prolonged vacancy of the Deputy Speaker’s post in the Lok Sabha. “First, the Modi government has not appointed a Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha for 7 years. This has never happened before.”

He further pointed to developments surrounding the candidature of Harivansh Narayan Singh, whose second term as Deputy Chairman ended on April 9. “Second, the Deputy Speaker's counterpart in the Rajya Sabha is the Deputy Chairman. Shri Harivansh's second term ended on April 9th. A day later he was nominated by the President of India as a member of the Rajya Sabha and he is now the NDA's candidate for Deputy Chairman for a third term,” Ramesh said.

Ramesh also raised concerns over precedent, noting that such a move was unprecedented. “Never before has a person nominated by the president to the Rajya Sabha been considered for the post of its deputy chairman.” The Congress leader further alleged that the government had failed to engage with Opposition parties before proceeding with the election. “Third, all this is being done without any meaningful consultations with the Opposition,” he said.

Announcing the boycott, Jairam Ramesh clarified that the move was not directed personally against Harivansh. “For these three reasons and as a mark of protest – but not with any disrespect to the very learned Shri Harivansh – the Opposition has regretfully decided to boycott the election of the Deputy Chairman scheduled for April 17.”

The election to the post is set to take place on April 17, with the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) expected to push for Harivansh’s re-election. The position fell vacant after Harivansh’s tenure ended earlier this month. He was subsequently nominated to the Upper House by President Droupadi Murmu and took oath on April 10.

Meanwhile, Union minister and BJP president J. P. Nadda, who also serves as the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, is understood to have held discussions with leaders across parties in an attempt to build consensus around Harivansh’s candidature.

However, Opposition parties, including the Congress, All India Trinamool Congress and Left parties, have objected to the government’s urgency in filling the Rajya Sabha post while leaving the Deputy Speaker’s position in the Lok Sabha vacant since 2019.