NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh becomes RS Dy Chairman, Opposition unity jolted
New Delhi, Aug 9 (IBNS): In a blow to the Opposition unity ahead of 2019 General Elections, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh won the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman election by 20 votes.
Harivansh, who belongs to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), got the support of 125 members, becoming the first non-Congress man to assume the post in 41 years' time.
Congress' BK Hariprasad, who was fielded as the Opposition candidate, could manage to get 105 votes.
In a dramatic turnaround in the Indian politics, several parties like the YSR Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) abstained from voting, paving the way for the government's win in the election.
Making a U-turn from its earlier anti-government stance, the YSR Congress, just before the Upper House election, said it will not support Hariprasad as he belongs to the Congress.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally reached out to Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik seeking the latter's support in the upper house contest, NDTV reported.
Patnaik was also contacted by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar.
Praising Harivansh following his win, Modi said in the Upper House, "He stayed in several cities like Hyderabad, Kolkata but the glamour never swayed him."
Congratulating the winning candidate on behalf of the entire Opposition, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said: "I would request Harivansh ji to give more attention to the Opposition, who are under-nourished. The government is nourished so it does not need more attention (smiles)".
Graduated from Banaras Hindu University, Harivansh is not only a Rajya Sabha member but also a journalist. The 62-year old parliamentarian resides at Ranchi.
The defeat in the Upper House contest is a serious blow to the Opposition as it is planning to contest the 2019 General Elections together to oust the ruling BJP.
Image: Wikimedia commons
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