On the first day of the special session of Parliament, Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday informed the upper house that the panel of vice-chairpersons has been reconstituted with 50 per cent of women MPs.
The vice-chairpersons are eligible to preside over the House in the absence of the chairman or the deputy chairman.
“The House members are informed that the panel of vice-chairpersons has been reconstituted with effect from September 13, 2023. Honourable members will be happy to note that 50 per cent of the vice-chairpersons happen to be women,” Dhankhar said in the
Rajya Sabha.
Announcing the names of the new panel of vice-chairpersons with 50 per cent women MPs, the Rajya Sabha Chairman also mentioned that the number of women MPs in the panel may go higher in future.
The eight-member panel will now have four women members, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs Kanta Kardam, Sumitra Balmik and Geeta alias Chandraprabha; and Biju Janata Dal’s Mamata Mohanta.
Besides, Congress’ Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Aam Aadmi Party’s Narain Dass Gupta, YSRCP’s V Vijayasai Reddy and Santanu Sen from Trinamool Congress were announced as other members of the panel.
The special session of Parliament is being held from September 18-22.