Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
Second highest authority of the upper house of the Parliament of India
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The deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha is the second-highest-ranking authority of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the parliament of India. He acts as the presiding authority in the event of leave or absence caused by the death or illness of the chairman of the Rajya Sabha. As per Article 89 of the constitution, the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is required to choose a member to be the deputy chairman whenever the office becomes vacant. However, the article does not stipulate a specific timeframe for this election. Additionally, it is a parliamentary convention to elect the deputy chairman from a party apart from the ruling party, ensuring a more accountable and democratic parliamentary system.[1][2]
| Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha | |
|---|---|
| Rājya Sabhā kē Upāsabhāpati | |
Rajya Sabha (Council of States) | |
 | |
| Reports to | Chairman of the Rajya Sabha |
| Formation | 31 May 1952 |
| First holder | S. V. Krishnamoorthy Rao |
| Website | sansad.in |
The deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha is elected among the members of parliament. He is elected by a simple majority of those present and voting. The chairman fixes the date for electing the deputy chairman, and there is no need for a separate oath. Since 1952, the Rajya Sabha has had 12 deputy chairmen. The longest-serving deputy chairman is Najma Heptulla from the Indian National Congress, who held the office for over sixteen years across multiple tenures. Following her, S. V. Krishnamoorthy Rao and K. Rahman Khan from the same party are the second and third longest-serving deputy chairmen respectively. Harivansh made history as the first-ever nominated member to hold the position.
The current incumbent is the nominated member Harivansh since 17 April 2026.[3]
List
- Key
| INC (9) IND (1) JD(U) (1) NOM (1) RPI (1) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Portrait | Name
(Birth–Death) |
Elected from | Term of office[a] | Election | Political party[b] | Chairman | ||||
| Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||||
| 1 | S. V. Krishnamoorthy Rao (1902–1968) |
Karnataka | 31 May 1952 | 2 April 1956 | 9 years, 252 days | 1952 | Indian National Congress | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | |||
| 25 April 1956 | 1 March 1962[RES] | 1956 | |||||||||
| 2 | .jpg) |
Violet Alva (1908–1969) |
Gujarat | 19 April 1962 | 2 April 1966 | 7 years, 206 days | 1960 | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
| |||
| 7 April 1966 | 16 November 1969[RES] | 1966 | |||||||||
| 3 | .jpg) |
Bhaurao Dewaji Khobragade (1925–1984) |
Maharashtra | 17 December 1969 | 2 April 1972 | 2 years, 107 days | Republican Party of India | Gopal Swarup Pathak | |||
| 4 |  |
Godey Murahari (1926–1982) |
Uttar Pradesh | 13 April 1972 | 2 April 1974 | 4 years, 317 days | 1968 | Independent | Gopal Swarup Pathak
| ||
| 26 April 1974 | 20 March 1977[RES] | 1974 | |||||||||
| 5 | .jpeg) |
Ram Niwas Mirdha (1924–2010) |
Rajasthan | 30 March 1977 | 2 April 1980 | 3 years, 3 days | Indian National Congress | B. D. Jatti
| |||
| 6 | Shyam Lal Yadav (1927–2005) |
Uttar Pradesh | 30 July 1980 | 2 April 1982 | 4 years, 126 days | 1976 | M. Hidayatullah
| ||||
| 28 April 1982 | 29 December 1984[RES] | 1982 | |||||||||
| 7 | .jpg) |
Najma Heptulla (b. 1940) |
Maharashtra | 25 January 1985 | 20 January 1986[RES] | 360 days | 1980 | R. Venkataraman | |||
| 8 |  |
M. M. Jacob (1926–2018) |
Keralam | 26 February 1986 | 22 October 1986[RES] | 238 days | 1982 | ||||
| 9 |  |
Pratibha Devisingh Patil (b. 1934) |
Maharashtra | 18 November 1986 | 5 November 1988[RES] | 1 year, 353 days | 1985 | R. Venkataraman
| |||
| (7) | |
Najma Heptulla (b. 1940) |
18 November 1988[§] | 4 July 1992 | 15 years, 195 days | 1986 | Shanker Dayal Sharma
| ||||
| 10 July 1992 | 4 July 1998 | 1992 | |||||||||
| 9 July 1998 | 10 June 2004[RES] | 1998 | |||||||||
| 10 | .jpg) |
K. Rahman Khan (b. 1939) |
Karnataka | 22 July 2004 | 2 April 2006 | 7 years, 215 days | 2000 | Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
| |||
| 12 May 2006 | 2 April 2012 | 2006 | |||||||||
| 11 |  |
P. J. Kurien (b. 1941) |
Keralam | 21 August 2012 | 1 July 2018 | 5 years, 314 days | 2012 | Mohammad Hamid Ansari
| |||
| 12 | .jpg) |
Harivansh (b. 1956) |
Bihar | 9 August 2018 | 9 April 2020 | 7 years, 239 days | 2014 | Janata Dal (United) | M. Venkaiah Naidu
| ||
| 14 September 2020 | 9 April 2026 | 2020 | |||||||||
| Nominated | 17 April 2026 | Incumbent | 2026 | Nominated | |||||||
- Timeline
Statistics
- List of deputy chairmen by length of term
| No. | Name | Party | Length of term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longest continuous term | Total duration of deputy chairmanship | ||||
| 1 | Najma Heptulla | INC | 15 years, 195 days | 16 years, 190 days | |
| 2 | S. V. Krishnamoorthy Rao | INC | 9 years, 252 days | 9 years, 252 days | |
| 3 | K. Rahman Khan | INC | 7 years, 215 days | 7 years, 215 days | |
| 4 | Violet Alva | INC | 7 years, 206 days | 7 years, 206 days | |
| 5 | Harivansh | NOM/JD(U) | 7 years, 239 days | 7 years, 239 days | |
| 6 | P. J. Kurien | INC | 5 years, 314 days | 5 years, 314 days | |
| 7 | Godey Murahari | IND | 4 years, 317 days | 4 years, 317 days | |
| 8 | Shyam Lal Yadav | INC | 4 years, 126 days | 4 years, 126 days | |
| 9 | Ram Niwas Mirdha | INC | 3 years, 3 days | 3 years, 3 days | |
| 10 | Bhaurao Dewaji Khobragade | RPI | 2 years, 107 days | 2 years, 107 days | |
| 11 | Pratibha Devisingh Patil | INC | 1 year, 353 days | 1 year, 353 days | |
| 12 | M. M. Jacob | INC | 238 days | 238 days | |
- List by party
| No. | Political party | Number of deputy chairmen | Total days of holding DCO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indian National Congress | 9 | 20886 days | |
| 2 | Janata Dal (United) | 1 | 2642 days | |
| 3 | Independent | 1 | 1778 days | |
| 4 | Republican Party of India | 1 | 837 days | |
| 5 | Nominated | 1 | 153 days | |
- Parties by total duration (in days) of holding Deputy Chairman's Office