Congress leader Jairam Ramesh
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
The Opposition will boycott the election of the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha as a mark of protest against the Modi government not appointing a deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha for seven years, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday (April 16, 2026).
The government had not had any meaningful consultations on the matter either, the Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. He added that the Opposition hopes “Harivansh 3.0” will be more accommodative of and receptive to its requests.
“First, the Modi government has not appointed a Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha for 7 years. This has never happened before.
Published – April 16, 2026 12:45 pm IST
