Harivansh Singh elected unopposed as Rajya Sabha deputy chairman
17 Apr 2026

Harivansh Narayan Singh has been elected unopposed as Rajya Sabha deputy chairman for a third term after no opposition nominations were filed.

President Droupadi Murmu had nominated Singh to the Upper House on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Singh on the election, saying, "Being elected as Deputy Chairman for the third consecutive term is a testament to the deep trust this House has in you."

No opposition nominations received
Nomination process

Per HT, five notices of motions were submitted to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat for Singh's re-election.

The notices were filed by Leader of the House Jagat Prakash Nadda, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Nabin, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Janata Dal (United) working president Sanjay Jha and Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary.

No opposition notices were received before the deadline on April 16.

Singh's tenure and re-election
Career overview

Singh, a member of Nitish Kumar's JD(U), was first elected as Deputy Chairman in 2018 as an NDA candidate. He was re-elected for a second term in 2020.

His current term ended on April 9, paving the way for his re-election.

The opposition had boycotted the election, reportedly in protest against the Modi government for not appointing a Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha for seven years.