RS deputy chief pick: NDA looks for key win

NEW DELHI: The NDA has an edge in the election for the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman’s post, with the Congress and other opposition parties scrambling to zero in on a joint candidate to field against the ruling coalition’s Haribansh Narayan Singh. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also said on Monday that the party will support the NDA candidate for the post of deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha.

NEW DELHI: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has an edge in the election for the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman’s post, with the Congress and other Opposition parties scrambling until late Tuesday evening to zero in on a joint candidate to field against the ruling coalition’s Haribansh Narayan Singh.

Unable to find a suitable candidate, the Opposition has asked the Congress to select a nominee for the poll. The Opposition leaders will now meet on Wednesday morning to announce their candidate.

The election, due on Thursday, will, however, test the NDA’S floor management skills in the Upper House, where it is in a minority and has faced obstructions on several bills and other issues from opposition parties. If the NDA wins, the upcoming election will mark its first significant victory in the Upper House. The ruling coalition has managed to garner the support of fence-sitters such as the AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), a senior government functionary said on condition of anonymity. The Opposition appears unsure of its total strength. “With just a year left before the general election, the House poll reflects the ground reality of the Opposition camp,” political analyst and former Lok Sabha secretary general Afzal Amanullah said. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar sprang into action to call chief ministers such as Naveen Patnaik of Odisha and K Chandrashekar Rao of Telangana for support, said a BJP leader on condition of anonymity.