Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 20 reconstituted the panel of Vice- Chairpersons of the Upper House of the Parliament with 50 per cent of them being women.
50% Women MPs Included In Newly Constituted Panel Of Vice-Chairpersons
Chairman Dhankhar made the announcement in the Upper House on the first day of the Monsoon Session. “Honorable members will be happy to note that 50% of the Vice-Chairpersons happen to be women,” Dhankhar said.
The newly elected Vice-Chairpersons are former sprinter Padma Shree P T Usha, S Phangnon Konyak and Ghanashyam Tiwari of Bhartiya Janata Party, Dr. Fouzia Khan of Nationalist Congress Party, Sulata Deo of Biju Janata Dal, V Vijaysai Reddy, L Hanumanthaiah of Indian National Congress, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray of All India Trinamool Congress.
Taking to Twitter, Dhankar termed the representation of women in the panel as “historic”. The Vice-Chairpersons are eligible to preside over the House in the absence of the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman.
As per the Rajya Sabha rules, “The Chairman shall from time to time, nominate from amongst the members of the Council a panel of not more than six Vice-Chairmen, one of whom may preside over the Council in the absence of the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman when so requested by the Chairman, or in his absence, by the Deputy Chairman.”
