RS deputy chairman election: Opposition parties hold meeting to discuss strategy

Earlier, Venkaiah Naidu had suggested that the deputy chairman should be elected by consensus. However, as of now, it appears an election would take place for the post on August 9.

Opposition parties on Monday held a meeting to finalise their strategy for the election of the deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, BSP’s Satish Chandra Mishra, NCP’s Praful Patel, CPI’s D Raja, TMC’s Derek O’Brien and other members of Opposition parties held a meeting to finalise their strategy for the election of the deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha. (PTI File Photo)

The election to the post of deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha will be held at 11 am on August 9, chairman M Venkaiah Naidu announced on Monday.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, BSP’s Satish Chandra Mishra, NCP’s Praful Patel, CPI’s D Raja, TMC’s Derek O’Brien, RJD’s Misa Bharti, CPI(M)’s T K Rangarajan and TDP’s C M Ramesh were among those who attended the meeting in Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad’s chamber in Parliament House.

They met to prepare the opposition strategy for the election and discuss various names for zeroing in on a candidate they can jointly field against the NDA nominee.

JD(U) MP Harivansh is likely to be the NDA candidate, sources said.

Earlier, Naidu had suggested that the deputy chairman should be elected by consensus. However, as of now, it appears an election would take place for the post with the opposition likely to field a candidate as well, the sources said.

The post of the deputy chairman has been lying vacant since June this year following the retirement of P J Kurien, who was elected to the Upper House of Parliament on a Congress ticket from Kerala.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)