Running a fractious House full of members every bit as well versed in parliamentary law as the chair, has, in the past, reduced several Rajya Sabha chairmen to tears.
As vice president and ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankar is inheriting a troubled legacy. Although the government faces no real numerical challenges in the Upper House, political and legal challenges are there aplenty.
The Congress party has issued a whip to its MPs in both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, mandating their presence from August 10-12 for discussions on "very important" issues. This directive comes amidst reports of potential debates on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, and a Constitution Amendment Bill concerning delimitation, though the government's official business list did not explicitly mention these.
In the Upper House of Parliament, where the Lokpal Bill is likely to be taken up on Wednesday, the Congress does not have majority on its own or with its allies in the UPA.
The BSP chief said she does not want to see any damage to the SP-BSP-RLD alliance.
Rajya Sabha will sit for late hours in last week of the first half of the budget session from Monday to clear the pending legislative and other businesses.
India's Monsoon session of Parliament remains formally unprorogued 40 days after adjournment, setting a new record. This unusual delay fuels speculation that the government intends to introduce a key legislation, possibly an amendment to the women's reservation law, without convening a new session. The proposed amendment aims for a 50 per cent seat expansion to address concerns over delimitation.
The BJP holds 28 of the 59 Rajya Sabha seats that will soon face election.
The Opposition on Saturday forced Law Minister Kapil Sibal to apologise in Rajya Sabha for failing to get a Constitution Amendment Bill passed in the Lok Sabha, alleging that he "misled" the Upper House while getting it passed in "haste".
Under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance, 2019, divorcing through instant triple talaq is illegal, void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband.
Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day after uproar by the Opposition.
Union Minister Prakash Javdekar on Saturday filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, which goes to polls on June 19.
Former Union minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel on Thursday filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha election in Maharashtra slated for June 19.
Sinh, who has been in the BJP earlier and was elected to Lok Sabha on its ticket in 90s, wields considerable influence in the Amethi region of Uttar Pradesh.
Major opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, have filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This action follows a "March for Democracy" and a declined request to meet the Chief Justice of India regarding "vote chori" allegations.
The new Lok Sabha will have 300 MPs who have been elected for the first time to the Lower House.
More than half of the bills introduced in the 18th Lok Sabha have been passed by both Houses in the same session, a significant acceleration compared to previous terms, raising concerns about the time available for legislative scrutiny and stakeholder consultations.
Outgoing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samajwadi Party president Mayawati on Tuesday filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building Sunday morning and installed the scared 'Sengol' in the Lok Sabha chamber, right next to the Speaker's chair, after performing a puja.
Be it Assam, Haryana or Delhi, the Congress is facing one crisis after another regarding its Rajya Sabha nominations, reports Renu Mittal.
Ambedkar Rajan's nomination comes as no surprise to the BSP cadre as it is well known that Mayawati depends on him and seeks his word regarding every major issue.
Senior Congress leader and Supreme Court lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi is likely to initiate the debate from the opposition side, the sources said.
The 1977-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer took oath in English after which he greeted the Chairman and other members present in the House.
Contrary to earlier expectations, the Telangana bill will now be introduced in the Lok Sabha first instead of the Rajya Sabha with the government seeking a fresh recommendation from the President after the Upper House secretariat held it is a money bill.
Ten days after both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die, the Monsoon session is yet to end formally, giving rise to speculation that the government wants to pass a key legislation without convening a new session.
The Bharatiya Janata Party replaced at least 25 sitting MPs with new faces as the party released its second list of 72 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on Wednesday.
The Congress and the Left parties might move court to challenge LS speaker's ruling on Aadhaar as money Bill.
The 71-year-old leader from Madhya Pradesh has almost four decades of legislative experience.
Singh claimed the ICCR chairmanship is not an office of profit and in the past, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and P V Narasimha Rao had occupied this post when they were external affairs ministers.
Karnataka Legislative Assembly Secretary M K Vishalakshi, who is the returning officer for the Rajya Sabha polls, declared the 'unanimous election' of Gowda and Kharge from the Janta Dal-Secular and the Congress respectively, and BJP's Iranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti, with no extra candidate in the fray.
The first session will commence in the third week of June with the oath-taking by the newly elected candidates as members of the House, the sources said, adding the oath-taking is likely to continue for two days, following which a new Speaker will be elected.
Most defections originated from three major parties -- the Congress, BJP and BSP.
All 5 candidates, three from Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United and two from the opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party, were on Friday elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from the state.
The Modi government is learning to deal with the reality that it does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha.
The women's Reservation Bill is likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday during the ongoing special session of the Parliament and in Rajya Sabha on September 21, government sources said.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was on Monday named as the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, while Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad was declared the Leader of the Opposition.
The Act deals with automatic disqualification of MPs and state legislators upon being convicted and sentenced for two years or more in a criminal case.
The Left parties have decided to back the annulment motion and efforts are on to mobilise members of Parliament across party lines. If the motion is accepted by the Rajya Sabha, it will be sent to the Lok Sabha, probably in the monsoon session, reports Shivam Vij
Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 for consideration after the Upper House, which was adjourned earlier in the pre-lunch session, reassembled at 2 pm.
The Lok Sabha has referred the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a 31-member joint parliamentary committee for thorough scrutiny.
