Harivansh re-elected RS deputy chairman; he belongs to all sides of aisle, says PM

NEW DELHI: NDA candidate and JD(U) MP Harivansh Narayan Singh was on Monday re-elected as Rajya Sabha deputy chairman through a voice vote.
This is the second time that he has been elected as the deputy chairman of the House. The opposition parties had proposed candidature of RJD MP Manoj Sinha for the post.
Congratulating Harivansh Narayan Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that be it as a journalist or social worker, the JD(U) leader has endeared himself to many. "We have all seen the manner in which he conducts the House proceedings," PM Modi said in the Rajya Sabha.
"Harivansh Ji belongs to all sides of the aisle. He has conducted proceedings in an impartial manner. He has been an outstanding umpire and will continue being so in the times to come. He has always been diligent in performing his duties," PM Modi added.
He further said, "The respect I hold for Harivansh ji, each member of the House shares. He has earned this respect. His unbiased role in the Parliament strengthens our democracy,"
Earlier today, the BJD extended support to Harivansh Narayan Singh in the election for Rajya Sabha depurty chariman.
JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar had called Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik on September 10 and had requested him to support Singh, a JD(U) MP who had filed his nomination on Wednesday.
The BJD had in 2018 too supported Singh in the election for Rajya Sabha deputy chairman post. Singh had then defected Congresss B K Hariprasad and became the RS deputy chairman.
The post, however, fell vacant after Singh's term in the Rajya Sabha expired in April, 2020.