BK Hariprasad vs Harivansh Narayan Singh for Rajya Sabha deputy chair

After much political scheming and a number of u-turns later, Congress has announced its candidate for Rajya Sabha deputy chairman's post. BK Hariprasad will take on Harivansh Narayan Singh of the Janata Dal (United) in Thursday's (August 9) election.

Hariprasad, who represents Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha, is a former Congress general secretary and is known for his sharp political acumen. A number of Opposition parties are likely to rally behind Hariprasad.

With the short notice given by Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu to the NDA and the Opposition to pick their respective candidates for the upcoming elections to the deputy chair of the Upper House, there is unease in both camps ahead of polling day.

In less than 24 hours, both sides will engage in an open battle that will be seen as yet another demonstration of both NDA and Opposition unity.

Earlier BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had announced JD (U)'s Harivansh Narayan Singh as its candidate.

Congress's announcement of its candidate finally ends the intrigues in the Opposition camp over who would represent them.

Mid-way through the day on Tuesday, it appeared the Opposition camp may have zeroed in on 57-year-old Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Vandana Chavan, but the call was overturned as soon as NCP supremo Sharad Pawar realised the numbers were stacked against the Opposition.

Proposing and withdrawing of names marked the past few days among Opposition parties. Earlier the first in the queue of contenders was Tiruchi Shiva of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) that has just four seats in the house of seniors.

Then, Trinamool Congress (TMC) pushed for Sukhendu Shekhar Roy; Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also had a



shout-in.

To win, either side needs the support of 124 MPs and as things stand at present, the contest is evenly poised, though the balance is slowly shifting in the NDA's favour.

Both fence-sitters, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) are likely to vote with the NDA though they haven't officially announced it.

Sources told India Today TV that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik decided to support Harivansh Narayan Singh after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a personal call to him. It was the same when Nitish rang TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao.

Meanwhile, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has also announced its 13 MPs will be voting in favour of the NDA candidate. Peoples Democratic Party's decision to abstain from voting on Thursday has also been a setback for the Opposition.

Meanwhile, it's likely DMK's four MPs from the Rajya Sabha could skip the polling in the wake of their patriarch Karunanidhi's death. This again is a dent in the Opposition's campaign, who otherwise had their support.

But while the Opposition struggles to put up a fight, it hasn't been easy going for the NDA either. The BJP/JD (U) may have secured the support of outsiders like the AIADMK, BJD and the TRS, but its own NDA allies like the Shiv Sena and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have been miffed over not being consulted before the announcement of Harivansh Narayan Singh's name.

Only after a dinner meeting between Amit Shah and Sukhbir Badal late last evening, the Akalis have finally decided to stand with the NDA during these elections. The Shiv Sena meanwhile stays non-committal despite BJP president Amit Shah personally calling Sena boss Uddhav Thackeray to secure his support for the August 9 polls.