V-P to host farewell tea party today for Kurien

New Delhi: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will host a farewell tea party for outgoing Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien at his residence here on Sunday afternoon. About 125 Parliamentarians of the Upper House—including Floor Leaders, Deputy Floor Leaders, Chief Whips, senior Union Ministers and the Parliament Affairs team to attend the farewell party at 5 PM at the VP House, sources mentioned.

Meanwhile, the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, commencing on July 18 expected to witness political crossovers over the deputy chairperson's post which goes vacant on July 2. The elections are to take place in the second week of the session. Though the BJP is the single largest party in Rajya Sabha, with the exit of the TDP, the NDA could face a tough challenge.

On the other side, Kurien was from the Congress but now sources say that Congress is open to the idea of a non-Congress candidate. For now, there are two front-runners, though the list is yet to be decided. They are BJD's Prasanna Acharya and TMC's Sukhendu Shekhar Roy. The mongering buzz in the political power corridor is that keeping larger opposition unity and Lok Sabha elections in mind, the Congress has indicated its willingness to leave the post for an Opposition party and would not insist for its own candidate.

Sources said, while attending the tea party, hosted by VP Naidu, the oppositions may have an 'informal' discussion over the consensus candidate.

Whereas, in the number game, the opposition has an upper-hand with 117 votes. Trinamool Congress( TMC), which has 13 MPs in Rajya Sabha, has been lobbying for Roy, where BJD, TRS, PDP and YSR Congress with a combined strength of 19 MPs have not still opened there are still undecided.

The BJP could rise its votes if they decide to nominate four MPs, and the fate of the fifth vacant seat will be decided by the Supreme Court, which is hearing a petition filed by rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav.