M Venkaiah Naidu kicks off poll process for deputy chairman

The Opposition is currently looking at fielding a consensus candidate, preferably a non-Congress candidate that can help even Congress rivals like TDP and Biju Janata Dal to vote for him or her

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday set in motion the process to appoint the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Current Deputy Chairman and Congress leader P J Kurien's Rajya Sabha term ends on July 2. The combined Opposition has more members in the Rajya Sabha compared to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The NDA's numbers have suffered after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) walked out of the alliance. The Opposition is currently looking at fielding a consensus candidate, preferably a non-Congress candidate that can help even Congress rivals like TDP and Biju Janata Dal