Opposition to put up joint candidate for RS deputy chairman post

New Delhi: As the Monsoon Session of the Parliament is set to commence from September 14, the Opposition parties stand united in fielding a joint candidate for the post of deputy speaker in Lok Sabha.

The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Congress party's parliament strategy group which was chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and attended by Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, AK Antony, Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh, and others.

The deputy speaker couldn't be elected in the budget session of the Lok Sabha which ended in March. And because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the legislative proceedings were affected so a discussion on the same could not be held.

Now, a discussion is expected in the monsoon session of Parliament which is beginning on September 14 as the last date of filing the nominations is September 11.

The post of Rajya Sabha's deputy chairperson is also vacant after Janata Dal (United) MP Harivansh retired in April this year. The Opposition parties would also field a joint candidate for the post.