Union Minister Vijay Goel to meet opposition leaders over election of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Vijay Goel will meet opposition leaders ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session to build a consensus over the election of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman, sources said today.

The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs had met Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu yesterday and informed him that there was no time specified as to by when the election has to be held.

The date will be decided after consulting opposition leaders, he said in a statement.

Incumbent Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien retired yesterday and there is no time specified to conduct the election to find his successor, sources privy to the development said.

They also said that Goel will be meeting opposition leaders to build a consensus over the election.

Goel also conveyed to Naidu that the government wants election for the post to be held as early as possible, but after consulting the opposition.

The minister also conveyed to Naidu that the government was keen on making sure both houses of Parliament run smoothly.

"I talked about legislative agenda for the upcoming session with the Chairman. There are six ordinances listed in it. All the bills are in public interest and we will seek opposition's cooperation in their passage," Goel said.

The minister had also informed Naidu that he had already met senior Congress leader and former prime minister Manmohan Singh in this regard.

The government announced last week that the Monsoon Session will commence on July 18 and will go on till August 10.