Page 5 - Rajya Sabha

BJP's Sanjay Bhatia, Congress' Karamvir Singh elected for RS from Haryana

BJP's Sanjay Bhatia and Congress party's Karamvir Singh Boudh have been declared elected to two Rajya Sabha seats in keenly watched elections as developments unfolded over allegations of violation of vote secrecy. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, in a late-night press conference, congratulated both the leaders on their win. Calling the elections interesting, Saini slammed the Congress, accusing it of holding its MLAs captive and transferring them to different places, referring to the shifting of Congress legislators from Himachal Pradesh. "I have seen for the first time that Congress did not trust its MLAs", he claimed. The Congress is "finished", and it has "no future", Saini said. The chief minister also lashed out at the INLD for abstaining from voting and said it acted as a "B team" of the Congress. The INLD indirectly supported the Congress, he claimed. Replying to a question on the Independent candidate, Saini said, "How could they stop anyone from contesting th

Four elected to Rajya Sabha from Odisha amid cross-voting allegations

Two BJP candidates, one BJD nominee and an Independent backed by BJP win seats as contest for fourth berth ends in a tie and is decided by second-preference votes

Rajya Sabha to observe holiday on March 19-20, to sit on March 28-29

The Rajya Sabha will function on the weekend on March 28-29 as the government has accepted the request of some members not to hold sittings on March 19-20 on account of festivals, Chairman C P Radhakrishnan informed members on Monday. During a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee held on March 11, 2026, certain members had suggested that in view of several festivals such as Navaratri, Gudipadwa, Ramadan etc, starting from March 19, it would be inappropriate to hold sittings of the House. "I wish to inform the members that the request made in this regard has been considered favourably by the government. Accordingly, the sittings of the Council scheduled for Thursday, 19 March 2026, and Friday, 20 March 2026, stands cancelled. "However, in order to make up for the time so lost, the Council will instead sit on Saturday, 28 March 2026, and Sunday, 29 March 2026. Members may kindly take note of the same," the Rajya Sabha Chairman said.

Rajya Sabha elections for 37 seats today; voting for 11, others unopposed

Voting will now take place for the remaining 11 seats, including five from Bihar, four from Odisha, and two from Haryana

House panel on subordinate legislation examining CCI commitment regulations

Rajya Sabha panel on subordinate legislation has begun examining the Competition Commission of India's commitment regulations that allow firms to avoid abuse of dominance investigations

Odisha Congress shifts MLAs to Karnataka resort ahead of Rajya Sabha polls

Nine Congress MLAs have been moved to a Karnataka resort amid fears of cross-voting and horse-trading ahead of the closely contested Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha

Census 2027 to record transgender heads of households, govt tells RS

The upcoming Census will collect data on sex of head of household--Male, Female and Transgender, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in a written response, said Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases. The questions for the first phase, which covers Houselisting and Housing Census, have been notified. "Information on Housing condition, Household particulars including name and sex of the head of the household, amenities available and assets possessed by household will be collected in this phase. Three categories of sex of head of household viz. Male/Female/Transgender will be collected," Rai said. Questions for the second phase, which is Population Enumeration where information of each individual will be collected, will be notified in due course, he added. The minister said enumerators shall undertake house-to-house field visits in the entire enumeration area for the collection of Census data to avoid any exclusion on any

AAP MP Raghav Chadha urgers govt to open Udan Yatri Cafes at more airports

The Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha on Monday urged the government to ensure that more Udan Yatri Cafes are opened at airports across the country to provide affordable eating options to passengers. Raising the issue in the special mentions in Rajya Sabha, he lauded the Udan Yatri Cafes, a government-backed initiative providing affordable, high-quality snacks and beverages at major Indian airports. Chadha, however, said that the "ground reality" is that these cafes are only there at a few airports. "Usually, passengers eat in the waiting area before boarding, but the Udan Yatri cafes are before check-in and security, so passengers are not able to use them," he said. "Due to limited counters, there are long queues, especially during peak traffic hours. Further, the limited menu options and capacity constraints restrict accessibility," he added. Chadha urged the government to ensure these affordable cafes are opened at all airports and are made more accessible.

As Nitish Kumar eyes Rajya Sabha seat, a look at the longest-serving CMs

Nitish Kumar, Bihar's longest-serving CM, does not feature among India's top five longest-serving chief ministers and currently ranks eighth with a cumulative tenure of 19 years and 199 days

Day after Nitish filed RS nomination, JD(U) workers continue to vent spleen

JD(U) workers on Friday continued to protest the decision of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to enter the Rajya Sabha, a move seen as signalling the end of his more than two-and-a-half-decade-long stint in Bihar politics. At the JD(U) office here, situated right across the street from the BJP's state headquarters, irate party workers staged a demonstration alleging that "traitors" had hatched a "conspiracy" with the alliance partner to "get rid of" their leader, who had been an eyesore for the "powerful liquor lobby" ever since he brought prohibition. "There are some people in our party who are playing the role of Jaichand (12th-century Rajput chieftain who aided Afghan invader Muhammad Ghori). One is in the Union cabinet, and the other has come from the BJP and is lording over us now", an irate JD(U) worker alleged. The allusion was to Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, an old aide of Nitish Kumar and a former party president, and Sanjay Kumar Jha, the JD(U)'s working ...

Nitish files RS nomination; Bihar govt likely to be headed by BJP CM

Nitish Kumar filed his Rajya Sabha nomination on Thursday, signalling his exit as Bihar CM and setting off a tussle over succession as Opposition parties term the move a betrayal of the 2025 mandate

Nitish, Nitin Nabin, Pawar set to get elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

Bihar's longest serving chief minister Nitish Kumar and BJP president Nitin Nabin are set to enter Rajya Sabha unopposed while NCP-SP supremo and veteran politician Sharad Pawar will return to the upper house once again after they filed their nomination papers on Thursday. The leaders were among the 40 candidates who filed their papers on the last day of nomination for 37 seats that are falling vacant in 10 states, leading to a keen contest for one seat each Bihar, Odisha and Haryana. Seven seats are falling vacant in Maharashtra, six in Tamil Nadu, five each in Bihar and West Bengal, four in Odisha, three in Assam and two each in Haryana, Telangana and Chhattisgarh, besides one seat in Himachal Pradesh. The scrutiny of papers will take place on Friday, and the nominations can be withdrawn till March 9. If needed, polling will be held on March 16. In Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam, assembly elections are likely to be held in April. The BJP is set to increase its tally in the Up

Anand Sharma hits out after Congress picks Anurag Sharma for RS seat

Speaking to ANI in Shimla before leaving for Delhi, Sharma said he was not in a position to comment on why he was not chosen as the party candidate

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar confirms Rajya Sabha bid, thanks voters for trust

Nitish Kumar confirms he will seek entry to the Rajya Sabha, saying it fulfils a long-held goal, while the question of who will replace him as Bihar chief minister remains open

Tawde, Athawale among 4 BJP nominees for Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra

The BJP on Wednesday announced four candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Maharashtra, nominating Union minister Ramdas Athawale and former state minister Vinod Tawde, among others, for the Upper House. Besides Athawale and Tawde, the party has also fielded Maya Chintaman Ivnate and Ramrao Wadkute for the biennial elections. Seven Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra are set to fall vacant in April. With over 230 MLAs in the 288-member assembly, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is in a position to ensure the election of all its four nominees. The Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra retiring this year include NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Athawale, who heads RPI (A), Fauzia Khan of NCP (SP), Rajni Patil (Congress), Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena (UBT), and BJP leaders Dhananjay Patil and Bhagwat Karad. Polling will be held on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, with counting scheduled to commence at 5 pm the same day. The Election Commission of India has announced electio

ECI announces schedule for biennial Rajya Sabha polls across 10 states

The polling is scheduled to take place on March 16, with the counting of votes on the same day at 5 pm. The election process will be completed by March 20

Stormy first leg of Budget session over; Lok Sabha to meet again on March 9

Stormy phase sees Opposition protests over India-US trade deal and memoir row; eight MPs suspended, House to reconvene on March 9

'Protect CAs, break Big Four dominance': Congress MP in Rajya Sabha

Congress leader Vivek K Tankha on Thursday in the Rajya Sabha demanded legal protection for chartered accountants and called for measures to break the dominance of four multinational audit firms in India, saying domestic CA firms need government support to compete. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the Madhya Pradesh MP said Deloitte, PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), E&Y (Ernst & Young), and KPMG have mandates worth more than Rs 10,000 crore each, while nearly one lakh Indian CA firms have businesses that never cross Rs 10 crore. "I am voicing the concern of nearly five lakh chartered accountants who live in this country and work, and also more than four lakh who live abroad. They are the gatekeepers of our businesses. They are the crisis managers of our operationalised government policies," Tankha said. Highlighting the critical role CAs played in implementing policies like demonetisation and GST, he said: "The ministers may announce, but it is the CAs who .

AAP's Raghav Chadha pitches 'Right to Recall' to boost voter accountability

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha on Wednesday called for introducing a 'Right to Recall' mechanism, arguing that voters should have the power to remove elected representatives before the completion of their five-year term if they fail to perform. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, he said, while Indian citizens have the constitutional right to elect Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs), there is currently no direct mechanism for voters to de-elect them mid-term on grounds of non-performance or misconduct. The 'Right to Recall' framework would allow constituents to initiate a formal process to remove an elected representative through a structured and legally defined procedure, he said, adding that India already provides for impeachment of the President, Vice President and judges, and allows no-confidence motions against governments. Extending a similar accountability principle to individual legislators, he said, would strengthen democrat

Petroleum reserves can sustain India for 74 days in crisis: Minister Puri

India's strategic petroleum reserve can last 74 days to meet the demand arising out of any global turbulence, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, the minister said for any country like India, which is growing at a phenomenal pace, there must be a very viable and secure reserve, so that it is not in a vulnerable situation in the case of global turbulence. He said India has several refineries both in the West coast as well as the East. "According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), today we are the world's third largest consumer of crude oil. We have the world's fourth largest refining capacity - currently around 260 million metric tonne per annum going on to 320 million metric tonne per annum. And, we are also the world's fifth largest exporter of petroleum products. "The strategic petroleum reserve is designed to ensure that in case of total global turbulence, we must have enough stock left to