Will Cong Lose RS Post for Dy Chair with PJ Kurien’s Retirement?

The Indian National Congress has held the post of the Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson for the past 41 years.

Rajya Sabha deputy Chairperson PJ Kurien. 

(Photo: The Quint)

The Indian National Congress (INC) has held the prestigious post of the Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson for the past 41 years and with PJ Kurien’s retirement from the upper house, the Congress might be at a risk of losing the post.

Since 1977, Congress has occupied the post of the deputy Rajya Sabha chairperson. According to a report in Hindustan Times (HT), even after BJP’s Bhairon Singh Shekhawat became the Vice-President in 2002, the post of the deputy chairperson remained with Congress.

However, since NDA doesn’t have the numbers to push for its nominee in the upper house, choosing PJ Kurien’s successor can be tricky.

The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker in Lok Sabha and the post of the Chairperson is already out of the Congress hands. There is a distinct possibility that after July, the deputy chairperson in Rajya Sabha will also see a non-Congress MP. For the first time in the history of Parliament, the top four positions in the House may not have a Congress nominee,” said a senior BJP leader on condition of anonymity.

A senior BJP leader to HT

The usual practice has been the governing part takes the seat of the chairperson, while a nominee from the opposition occupies the deputy chairperson’s seat.

From 2004 to 2014, when the UPA was in power, BJP’s Charanjit Singh Athwal became the deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha and in 2009 Karia Muda took the seat.

There is a strong possibility that the BJP will negotiate with other parties to put up a non-Congress, non-BJP candidate. Remember, it denied Congress the Lok Sabha deputy Speaker’s post in 2014 and gave it to the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam). 

Senior political functionary to HT. 

“Giving the deputy Speaker’s seat to M Thambidurai was a clear message of friendship with the AIADMK. It needed AIADMK’s help in Rajya Sabha and also for future ties in Tamil Nadu. Similarly, the BJP will look at the political opportunity while electing someone in the Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson’s office,” the BJP leader cited above said.

Ahead of the 2019 elections, when BJP is trying to mend its ties with allies and other parties, the deputy chairperson elections will give them the opportunity to do that.

(With inputs from Hindustan Times.)