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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Rajya Sabha deputy chairman poll to be next test for opposition unity
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Rajya Sabha deputy chairman poll to be next test for opposition unity

The Congress is eager to retain the seat after senior parliamentarian P.J. Kurien retires on 1 July, but this may not be easy as the party lacks the numbers in the Upper House

The appointment of the new deputy chairman is significant because it is the last year of the current government before the national polls take place in 2019.Premium
The appointment of the new deputy chairman is significant because it is the last year of the current government before the national polls take place in 2019.

New Delhi: Opposition unity will be tested during the election for the post of deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha scheduled to be held in the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament.

The Congress is eager to retain the seat after senior parliamentarian P.J. Kurien retires on 1 July, but this may not be easy as the party lacks the numbers in the Upper House.

The immediate problem for the Congress is that some of the prominent opposition parties want to have a non-Congress and non-BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) candidate for the post of deputy chairman.

“The post has been with Congress for more than four decades and we would prefer to keep it like that, but the problem is some opposition parties want to have their own candidate for the post. A division in the ranks of opposition parties would only help the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) win the prestigious post in the Upper House," said a senior Congress leader, on the condition of anonymity.

The first signs of opposition unity came on Sunday when veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel, a close aide of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, met West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee in the national capital. Senior leaders of the Congress believe that TMC is keen to have its own candidate for the top post. The Congress is also facing challenges from the ruling alliance with the BJP looking to have their candidate elected for the post.

“After the appointment of M. Venkaiah Naidu as the vice-president and chairman of Rajya Sabha, the party would be interested if a member of the NDA becomes deputy chairman in Rajya Sabha. The biggest problem for BJP-NDA is that we lack majority in the Upper House, if we are able to win the seat it will be a setback for the opposition," said a senior BJP leader, who is also a member of the Rajya Sabha.

The appointment of the new deputy chairman is significant because it is the last year of the current government before the national polls take place in 2019. Therefore, the government is keen on pushing through policy legislations in the Rajya Sabha where it is currently in a minority.

After losing the largest party’s position in Rajya Sabha to the BJP, Congress wants to ensure that the latter does not succeed in appointing a party candidate to the post. There is a growing consensus in Congress that, if needed, the party should support a consensus opposition candidate from another friendly party.

“This is the most important agenda at our hands now. Senior leaders of our party are in talks with other opposition parties. This is not a question whether it is a Congress or non-Congress candidate, we are trying to find a consensus opposition candidate among all opposition parties," a senior Rajya Sabha member of Congress said, requesting anonymity.

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Published: 19 Jun 2018, 04:35 AM IST
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