Latest news with #Harivansh
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Delhi Confidential: ‘Be Kind'
Amid the pandemonium in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Deputy Chairman Harivansh had a special request for the Opposition — to let MDMK MP Vaiko raise an issue in the Zero Hour as he (Vaiko) is retiring on Thursday. 'Be kind to him,' Harivansh requested the Opposition MPs. Seeing CPI(M) member John Brittas trying to calm down his colleagues in the Opposition, Harivansh asked him to 'help Vaiko'. In his last chance to raise a matter of public importance during this term, the senior MP known for his fiery speeches, spoke on his favourite topic — the plight of fishermen. He urged the Central government to take immediate steps to secure release of Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan authorities. A press briefing by the Congress leadership from J&K on the issue of statehood was conspicuously missed by the party's state president — Tariq Hameed Karra. Those who addressed the media at the party headquarters in Delhi were J&K CLP leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir, former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh, general secretary in-charge (J&K and Ladakh) Naseer Hussain and spokesperson Ravinder Sharma. Karra was present at a meeting of Congress leaders from J&K with the party brass in Delhi on Tuesday evening. His absence led to some speculation in the party circles in Srinagar and Delhi, but sources close to him said he was unwell. With the shift to the new complex imminent, officers from ministries located in North Block and other government buildings have started visiting their new offices at the Common Central Secretariat (CCS) buildings. A rush of government cars can be seen entering and exiting the complex, which is yet to be inaugurated. It is learnt that officers have been going to see their new offices, try out their desks and see to the finishing touches. The shifting is likely to start after the Monsoon Session of Parliament ends in August.
Mint
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Who will be next Vice President? Harivansh, Nitish, Arif among those in race to succeed Jagdeep Dhankhar
The Election Commission of India said on Wednesday that it has already begun the process of electing a new Vice President. The announcement comes two days after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the post, opening the contest for his successor. Dhankhar, 74, assumed office in August 2022. His five-year term would end in August 2027. Dhankhar's abrupt resignation means a new Vice President has not been elected within the next two months. While the Election Commission has yet to announce the poll schedule, sources say the country will likely have a new Vice President by the end of August. Dhankhar's resignation has set off a wave of speculations about his potential successor. One of the past governors, as Dhankhar was of West Bengal before taking the vice president's office, or a seasoned organisational leader or one of the Union ministers – the BJP has a large pool of leaders to choose from for the position. Dhankhar's resignation comes as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in the process of electing its new national president, replacing JP Nadda. According to some reports, the saffron party may get a new president after 15 August. Whenever the election happens, the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the opposition INDIA bloc will field their candidates for the top post. The electorate for the Vice Presidential election comprises all members of both Houses of Parliament, using a proportional representation system via single transferable vote. The MPs will cast a single transferable vote with a secret ballot. The electoral college currently has 788 MPs- 588 in Lok Sabha and 245 in Rajya Sabha. The ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has a majority in the electorate, which means the NDA candidate will be the next Vice President of India At present, the effective strength of both Houses is 782, and the winning candidate will require 392 votes, considering that all eligible voters exercise their franchise. In the Lok Sabha, the BJP-led NDA enjoys the support of 293 of the 542 members. The ruling alliance has the support of 129 members in the Rajya Sabha, assuming that the nominated members vote in support of the NDA nominee, which has an adequate strength of 240. Overall, the ruling alliance has the support of 422 members in both houses, as opposed to the requirement of 394. Among the frontrunners from the NDA camp is Harivansh Narayan Singh, a Janata Dal (United) MP who has been the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman since 2020. Harivansh has been temporarily filling the role of Rajya Sabha chair until the election of the next Vice President of India. In the 2020 Deputy Speaker Elections, Harivansh defeated Opposition candidate and RJD leader Manoj Jha. Nitish Kumar's name has also been floating around for the post. However, the JD-U chief will have to leave the CM chair, months before the elections, so Kumar seems an unlikely candidate. Yet, NDA ally Upendra Kushwaha suggested that Nitish Kumar step down as CM to make way for the next generation. Manoj Sinha will complete five years as the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu and Kashmir this August, fuelling speculation about his candidature as Vice President. Sinha is a former MP, Union minister and an old BJP hand from Uttar Pradesh's Purvanchal region. Two Union Ministers — Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister JP Nadda — have also been suggested as contenders. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has also emerged as a contender for some. To be a VP, Tharoor, who has an uneasy relationship with the Congress party, will have to leave his Lok Sabha MP seat. Dhankhar's abrupt resignation has set off a wave of speculation about his potential successor. Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan is also counted in the list. A former Congress and Janata Dal MP, Khan left Congress in 1986 over the Shah Bano case. Before Bihar, he was Governor of Kerala.
Mint
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Vice President election: NDA vs Opposition, who has the edge? Number game explained as Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns
Two days after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned as the Vice President, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Wednesday, July 23, it has started the process of holding the vice presidential election. The ECI also said that it has begun forming the electoral college for the vice presidential election. The electoral college which will include members of both Houses of Parliament – the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. All elected and nominated MPs are eligible to vote. Here's a look at who holds the edge in the upcoming Vice Presidential election and how the numbers add up in both Houses of Parliament. The Vice President of India is elected by the members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Currently, 543-member Lok Sabha has one vacant seat – Basirhat in West Bengal – while 245-member Rajya Sabha has five vacancies – four from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and one from Punjab. The effective strength of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha is 782, not including the vacancies. To win the Vice Presidential election, the winning candidate will require 392 votes, considering a full house and everyone exercising their franchise. Also Read | Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns as Vice President. What's next? Who chairs Rajya Sabha now? In the Lok Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) enjoys support of 293 members. In Rajya Sabha, the NDA comfortably sits with the support of 129 members, as per news agency PTI. The ruling alliance commands the support of 422 members — well above the majority needed for an NDA candidate to comfortably win the Vice Presidential election. Also Read | Who will be next Vice President? Harivansh, Nitish, Arif among those in race to succeed Jagdeep Dhankhar The Congress has 99 members in the Lok Sabha and 27 in the Rajya Sabha. With the support of INDIA bloc, the Opposition number go up to over 350 – unless some of them switches or abstains from voting – the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) recently exited the INDIA bloc The ruling NDA holds a comfortable advantage in the Vice Presidential race. Article 66 (1) of the Constitution provides that the vice presidential election shall be held in accordance with the system of Proportional Representation by means of the single transferable vote and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot. In this system, the elector has to mark preferences against the names of the candidates.
Mint
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Who will be next Vice President? Harivansh, Nitish, Arif among in race to succeed Jagdeep Dhankhar
The Election Commission of India said on Wednesday that it has already begun the process of electing a new Vice President. The announcement comes two days after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the post, opening the contest for his successor. Dhankhar, 74, assumed office in August 2022. His five-year term would end in August 2027. Dhankhar's abrupt resignation means a new Vice President has not been elected within the next two months. While the Election Commission has yet to announce the poll schedule, sources say the country will likely have a new Vice President by the end of August. Dhankhar's resignation has set off a wave of speculation about his potential successor. One of the past governors, as Dhankhar was of West Bengal before taking the vice president's office, or a seasoned organisational leader or one of the Union ministers – the BJP has a large pool of leaders to choose from for the position. Dhankhar's resignation comes as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in the process of electing its new national president, replacing JP Nadda. According to some reports, the saffron party may get a new president after August 15. Whenever the election happens, the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the opposition INDIA bloc will field their candidates for the top post. The electorate for the Vice Presidential election comprises all members of both Houses of Parliament, using a proportional representation system via single transferable vote. The MPs will cast a single transferable vote with a secret ballot. The electoral college currently has 788 MPs- 588 in Lok Sabha and 245 in Rajya Sabha. The ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has a majority in the electorate, which means the NDA candidate will be the next Vice President of India At present, the effective strength of both Houses is 786, and the winning candidate will require 394 votes, considering that all eligible voters exercise their franchise. In the Lok Sabha, the BJP-led NDA enjoys the support of 293 of the 542 members. The ruling alliance has the support of 129 members in the Rajya Sabha, assuming that the nominated members vote in support of the NDA nominee, which has an adequate strength of 240. So, overall, the ruling alliance has the support of 422 members in both the houses as against the requirement of 394. Among the frontrunners from the NDA camp is Harivansh Narayan Singh, a Janata Dal (United) MP who has been the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman since 2020. Harivansh has been temporarily filling the role of Rajya Sabha chair until the election of the next Vice President of India. In the 2020 Deputy Speaker Elections, Harivansh defeated Opposition candidate and RJD leader Manoj Jha. Nitish Kumar's name has also been floating around for the post. However, the JD-U chief will have to leave the CM chair, months before the elections, so Kumar seems an unlikely candidate. Yet, NDA ally Upendra Kushwaha suggested that Nitish Kumar step down as CM to make way for the next generation. Manoj Sinha will complete five years as the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu and Kashmir this August, fuelling speculation about his candidature as Vice President. Sinha is a former MP, Union minister and an old BJP hand from Uttar Pradesh's Purvanchal region. Two Union Ministers — Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister JP Nadda — have also been suggested as contenders. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has also emerged as a contender for some. To be a VP, Tharoor, who has an uneasy relationship with the Congress party, will have to leave his Lok Sabha MP seat. Dhankhar's abrupt resignation has set off a wave of speculation about his potential successor. Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan is also counted in the list. A former Congress and Janata Dal MP, Khan left the Congress in 1986 over the Shah Bano case. Before Bihar, he was Governor of Kerala. Well, all these are speculations. Who knows, like in the past, the BJP will come up with a surprise pick. Until then, more names will be added to the list of frontrunners for Vice President of India.
The Hindu
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Parliament Monsoon Session: Opposition demands two-day discussion on Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor in Rajya Sabha
The Opposition on Wednesday (July 23, 2025) put forth their demand for holding a debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in the Rajya Sabha from next week and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence be ensured. The demand was put forth during the first meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The meeting was attended by leaders of various parties and Leader of the House J.P. Nadda, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. The BAC meeting was chaired by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh. This is the first time that the meeting of BAC is being held, after the same was rescheduled since Monday (July 21, 2025). On Monday (July 21, 2025) evening, the first day of the Monsoon Session, Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the post of Vice-President, leading to further postponement of the meeting. "The Business Advisory Committee meeting of the Rajya Sabha was held today under the chairmanship of Deputy Chairman Harivansh. The entire opposition demanded that the discussion on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor be taken up starting next week. 'The two-day discussion for 16 hours should be taken up a day after the same started in Lok Sabha,' Congress's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari told reporters after the meeting. He also said the Opposition wanted no resolution should be brought up during the debate on Operation Sindoor/Pahalgam attack and a normal discussion spanning two days should be held. Govt Agrees to Debate on Operation Sindoor & Pahalgam Terror Attack "We have demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be present during the discussion, and we have been assured that by the government," he also claimed. "I am hopeful that the prime minister will be present during the debate on Operation Sindoor," Mr. Tiwari said. Both Houses of Parliament have witnessed repeated adjournments amid uproar by Opposition members over the issue of the Pahalgam attack, Bihar's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and other issues.
