Elections for the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha will be held on August 9, House Chairman Venkaiah Naidu announced here on Monday.
While the Opposition has a slight edge over the ruling BJP and its allies, the outcome will be too close to call, with both sides attempting to poach members.
According to sources, the Opposition is in talks with NDA ally Shiv Sena, which has been vocal in its differences with the ruling BJP.
The Sena has three members. Despite being long-term allies of the BJP, the party did not vote during the No-Confidence Motion held on July 20 in Lok Sabha.
The BJP on their part, will try to break the Opposition ranks in a battle where every vote counts.
Surprise move
Mr. Naidu’s announcement took Opposition leaders by surprise as they had expected the government to put off the election for this session. The post of Deputy Chairman had fallen vacant after incumbent Deputy Speaker P.J. Kurien retired on June 30.
The Nationalist Congress Party’s Vandana Chavan and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Tiruchi Siva are front runners from the Opposition. Though there has been no formal announcement, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar informally told Opposition leaders that first time JD(U) MP Harivansh will be their candidate.
Following the announcement, floor leaders of Opposition parties met on Monday evening. Erstwhile BJP ally, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was a significant presence at the meeting.
However, according to sources, no names were discussed. “We only took stock of how many members we have. The Congress did try to reach out to the BJD [Biju Janata Dal] but they were not accessible,” a senior leader at the meeting said.
Both sides however, are gearing up for a stiff contest.
“Congress or the Opposition as such has not decided [on] any candidate. We are very clear that there should be a consensus candidate. We would prefer to have a Deputy Chairman from the Opposition party. It is not an issue which particular Opposition party the Deputy Chairman should belong to,” Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
Numbers game
The BJP is currently the largest party in the Upper House with 73 members. It along with its allies and supporting parties, which includes the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, has 102 votes. The Opposition, however, has got a fresh boost with former NDA allies like TDP and the People’s Democratic Front joining its ranks. The Opposition now has 115 votes.
The arithmetic, however, is not so simple. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazgham (AIADMK) which has 13 members, is likely to go with BJP following the precedent of last month’s No-Confidence Motion, when they voted in favour of government. However, the party has not yet made its support official.
“I am awaiting instructions from the high command in Chennai. I have conveyed them about the upcoming election and also informed about the NDA candidate,” the AIADMK’s floor leader Navaneetha Krishnan told The Hindu .
Should the Tamil Nadu’s ruling party join the NDA ranks, the tally will go up to 115.
Another regional player, the YSR Congress from Andhra Pradesh, that till recently was hobnobbing with the BJP, has announced that it will vote against the party.
“Our party President Jagan Mohan Reddy has already announced that we will not support the BJP or any of their allies. Our position is very clear,” Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Sai Reddy said. The party has two members and will take the opposition tally to 118.
The Rajya Sabha’s strength is 244. If the entire house votes, the winner needs a minimum of 122 votes. Any abstentions would bring the winning figure down.
The Biju Janata Dal, which has been sitting on the fence, has still not revealed its cards. The party has nine members and could easily be the deciding factor in this battle.
“We will wait for an announcement of the candidates — some names have been floating both sides have been talking us. Our decision will be based on the candidate, we do not want to speculate about anything else,” B. Mahtab of Biju Janata Dal.
Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that there will be no whip from any party, which means party members can vote for whomever they like. According to sources, at least one member each from Trinamool Congress and Rashtriya Janata Party may vote for the ruling party.
