Who will succeed Deputy Chairman Harivansh in the Rajya Sabha?

With the term of the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) senior leader Harivansh coming to an end on April 9, speculation has begun on who will replace him.

Three scenarios are being discussed. One, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may keep the seat for itself. Two, the seat may again go to the JD(U), or to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) or All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The AIADMK’s floor leader M. Thambidurai was the last Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha. Three, much as in the Lok Sabha, the government may choose not to hold an election for the Deputy Chairman’s post, allowing a Panel of Chairpersons to assist Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan. Since June 2019, the post of Deputy Speaker has remained vacant in the Lok Sabha.

Rajya Sabha election LIVE updates

The TDP has only two members in the Upper House. The party was not keen on the Deputy Speaker’s post in the Lok Sabha when they were offered it in the 17th Lok Sabha, and there has been no significant change in its stance. The JD(U) has four members in the Upper House and could easily make the cut, though it is not yet clear whether the government would want to continue with the arrangement. Even though Mr. Thambidurai has a slim chance, considering the Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan is also from Tamil Nadu, the top two positions of the Upper House cannot be filled by persons belonging to the same State.

Many agree that the third scenario — of the government choosing not to hold an election for the Deputy Chairman’s post — is far more likely. While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is comfortably placed in the Upper House, with its total strength exceeding 120 members, an election could lead to what one member described as “sabre-rattling” with the Opposition.

The Opposition could gather enough votes to project a moral defeat for the government, especially at a time when the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is, for the first time ever, working with the Congress. On Thursday (March 5, 2026), urologist Datteswar Hota filed his nomination papers in Bhubaneswar in the presence of the BJD president and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das.

The BJD has seven members in the Upper House. The party has so far maintained equidistance from both the government and the Opposition, although it has more often than not leaned towards the government. The BJD members alone will not help the Opposition tilt the battle in its favour, but they could help narrow the margin. “For the BJP, it makes little sense to go through an election for a post that is largely inconsequential,” a multi-term Rajya Sabha member said.