Opposition parties to put up a joint candidate for RS deputy chairperson's election

NEW DELHI: The Congress has decided to put up a joint opposition candidate for the post of Deputy Chairperson of the RajyaSabha, sources said, ahead of the election scheduled for September 14.

The Congress will consult other opposition parties on this and the candidate will be decided accordingly as the matter was discussed in the Congress' strategy meet.

However, the numbers are tough in the upper house as the NDA candidate can sail through with support of many like-minded parties like AIADMK, JD-U, and Akali Dal and several opposition parties may skip the polls as recently the BJP has gained numbers and Congress' strength has reduced "but if all the non-NDA parties support the opposition candidate then the BJP may find it tough," said a Congress MP.

The election for the post of Deputy Chairperson of the RajyaSabha will be held on September 14, the day Parliament's monsoon session convenes.

The post fell vacant after Janata Dal-United MP Harivansh Narayan Singh's term in the Upper House expired. He has since been re-elected to the RajyaSabha from Bihar. The election will be held at 3 p.m. on September 14. The nominations will be accepted till noon on September 11. (IANS): 

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