What Happened
- President Droupadi Murmu nominated Harivansh Narayan Singh to the Rajya Sabha through a Gazette notification issued on April 10, 2026
- His previous term as a Rajya Sabha member from Bihar (on a JD(U) ticket) concluded on April 9, 2026; the nomination fills the vacancy left by the retirement of former nominated member Justice Ranjan Gogoi
- Harivansh Narayan Singh, a veteran journalist and senior JD(U) leader, has served as Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha since 2018 — a position he is expected to continue in
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated him on the nomination, lauding his contributions to journalism and parliamentary proceedings
- He took oath as a Rajya Sabha member the same day in the presence of Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan
Static Topic Bridges
Article 80 — Composition of the Rajya Sabha and Presidential Nomination
Article 80 of the Indian Constitution lays down the composition of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States). Under Article 80(1)(a), read with Article 80(3), the President nominates 12 members to the Rajya Sabha from among persons with special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art, and social service. These 12 nominated members are distinct from the 238 elected representatives of states and Union Territories. The nominated members are chosen not on the basis of proportional representation but on the basis of their domain expertise and contribution to national life.
- Article 80(1)(a): President nominates 12 members to Rajya Sabha
- Article 80(3): Qualifications — special knowledge/practical experience in literature, science, art, or social service
- Maximum strength of Rajya Sabha: 250 (238 elected + 12 nominated)
- Current strength: 245 (233 elected + 12 nominated) — total limited by number of state/UT seats filled
- Nominated members are not entitled to vote in Presidential elections (Article 55 read with Article 80)
- Term of nominated members: 6 years; one-third retire every two years (like other Rajya Sabha members)
Connection to this news: Harivansh Narayan Singh's nomination — the President's selection of a journalist with decades of experience — falls squarely within the Article 80(3) framework; his domain qualification is literature and social service as a veteran editor.
Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha — Constitutional Role
The Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is provided for under Article 91 of the Constitution. The Deputy Chairman is elected by the members of the Rajya Sabha from among themselves. When the Chairman (Vice President of India) is absent from a sitting, or when the office of the Vice President is vacant, the Deputy Chairman presides over the House. The Deputy Chairman also chairs important Parliamentary Committees. Under Article 91(3), when the Deputy Chairman is himself presiding, he does not have the right to vote in the first instance but only exercises a casting vote in case of a tie.
- Article 91: Power of the Deputy Chairman or other person to perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Chairman
- Deputy Chairman is elected by Rajya Sabha members from among themselves (unlike the Chairman/VP who is elected by an electoral college)
- Deputy Chairman is not automatically a member of the Panel of Vice-Presidents — he is a separately elected officer
- Harivansh Narayan Singh first elected Deputy Chairman: August 14, 2018 (during NDA's tenure)
- Re-elected Deputy Chairman: 2020
- Convention: Deputy Chairman is usually from a coalition partner of the ruling alliance
Connection to this news: Harivansh's re-nomination to Rajya Sabha (as a Presidential nominee rather than a party candidate) maintains his eligibility to continue as Deputy Chairman — a position critical to NDA's parliamentary management.
Rajya Sabha — Permanent House and Representation of States
The Rajya Sabha is the Upper House of Parliament and is described in the Constitution as a "permanent body" — it is not subject to dissolution, unlike the Lok Sabha. One-third of its members retire every two years. Representatives to the Rajya Sabha from states are elected by the elected members of state legislative assemblies through a system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote (Article 80(4)). The Rajya Sabha is meant to represent the federal character of India — the states' voice in the Central legislature.
- Rajya Sabha: Cannot be dissolved; rotating retirements every 2 years
- Elections: Indirect — by elected MLAs of state assemblies; not by proportional population but by fixed seat allocation per state
- States' seats: Allocated roughly on population basis; UP (31), Maharashtra (19), Tamil Nadu (18) have the most seats
- Rajya Sabha has special powers: ratification of state list legislation (Article 249); resolutions on creation of All-India Services (Article 312)
- Article 100: Quorum — one-tenth of total membership of the House
- Rajya Sabha special powers: money bills — only Rajya Sabha can delay (14 days); constitutional amendments pass both houses
Connection to this news: A Presidential nomination fills a slot outside the state-election process — used traditionally to bring eminent persons into Parliament who may not contest elections; its current use to retain a working politician (Harivansh) in his Deputy Chairman role raises questions about the original intent of the provision.
Role of the Vice President as Ex-Officio Chairman
The Vice President of India is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha under Article 89. The Vice President, as Chairman, does not participate in the debates of the House but presides over it. When presiding, the Chairman does not vote except in case of a tie. The position of Rajya Sabha Chairman is distinct from the role of the Vice President in his own right — the Vice President is elected by an electoral college comprising both Houses of Parliament (unlike the President, whose electoral college includes state assemblies). Rajya Sabha currently has C.P. Radhakrishnan as Vice President and thus as its Chairman.
- Article 89: Vice President is ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha
- Vice President elected by: Members of both Houses of Parliament (elected members only) — not state legislators
- Chairman's casting vote (Article 100(2)): In case of equality of votes, the Chairman exercises the casting vote
- Vice President cannot be a member of either House of Parliament simultaneously
- Vice President's removal: Same majority as the President's impeachment, but Rajya Sabha initiates it after 14 days notice (Article 67)
Connection to this news: Harivansh took oath in the presence of Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan — who in his capacity as Rajya Sabha Chairman administered the oath — a standard constitutional proceeding when a new member joins the Rajya Sabha.
Key Facts & Data
- Article 80(1)(a) and 80(3): Constitutional basis for Presidential nomination of 12 Rajya Sabha members
- Fields of nomination: Literature, science, art, social service
- Maximum Rajya Sabha strength: 250 (238 elected + 12 nominated)
- Nominated members' term: 6 years
- Harivansh Narayan Singh: JD(U) leader; veteran journalist; Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha since 2018
- Previous term ended: April 9, 2026 (as elected JD(U) member from Bihar)
- New nomination: Presidential nomination (not party-elected) — fills vacancy left by Ranjan Gogoi's retired seat
- Vacancy being filled: Left by former nominated member Justice Ranjan Gogoi (ex-CJI)
- Article 91: Constitutional provision for the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha
- Nominated members cannot vote in Presidential elections (Article 55)