Would be happy if woman becomes RS Dy Chairman: Vandana Chavan

Following reports of her being elected as the opposition candidate for Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman's election, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Member of Parliament (MP) Vandana Chavan on Tuesday said that she would be happy if a woman is elected for the post.

Speaking to ANI, Chavan said, "I would be very happy if any woman is elected as Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, but nothing has been decided yet. Opposition meetings are going on, we should wait."

The post of the deputy chairman has been lying vacant since June 2018 after the retirement of Congress leader PJ Kurien. At the farewell of Kurien, Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu had urged the ruling and opposition parties to find a suitable replacement for the post.

According to media reports, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Satish Mishra and Trinamool Congress MP Derek o Brien had earlier suggested Chavan's name for the post of Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (United) leader Harivansh Narayan Singh is likely to be the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate for the post. The elections will be held on the second last day of the monsoon session of Parliament, that is, on August 9.

Earlier on Monday, Naidu suggested that the deputy chairman should be elected by consensus. The nomination papers will have to be filed before noon on August 8.