SAD may skip voting for RS dy chief post

New Delhi, August 6

The election for Deputy Chairman of  the Rajya Sabha will be held on Thursday. The announcement by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday rekindled political activity.

It is learnt that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), upset at  being  ‘ignored’, may abstain from voting. At a meeting here on Monday evening, Akali MPs were upset that the BJP-led NDA was apparently backing Harivansh of the JD-U, at a time when he could not get enough votes even for a Public Accounts Committee seat.

The Akalis were pushing for their  MP Naresh Gujral for the post that fell vacant after the retirement of Prof PJ Kurien (Congress) in June.

Since the start of the session in mid-July, there was speculation over the possibility of the poll being delayed till the next session since the ruling coalition enjoys only a slight advantage of numbers.

With the announcement, the Opposition has restarted parleys and is expected to finalise a candidate, possibly at its meeting on Tuesday, amid indications that the BJP has agreed to support Harivansh’s candidature. BJP parliamentary party managers are confident of pulling off a victory.

The Opposition is working to ensure its candidate can create an upset. The ruling coalition has a slight advantage and much will depend on the stand of the BJD, with nine members. — TNS