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Congress to put up candidate for Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman post (Second Lead)
New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) The contest for the post of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman is expected to be between a Congress nominee backed by other opposition parties and the candidate of the ruling BJP-led NDA as NCP on Tuesday decided against putting up a candidate for the August 9 election.
Sources said that Nationalist Congress Party decided not to field Vandana Chavan, whose name was being “actively considered” by opposition parties, after sensing that she would not get extra support from Biju Janata Dal and Shiv Sena.
The sources said that the NCP conveyed its decision at the meeting of opposition parties convened in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The decision left little choice for the Congress but to put up its candidate in “the fight for principle.”
A senior Congress leader said after the meeting that the party will field a candidate but did not reveal any name. He said it will be decided by late evening today.
He said the party was willing to contest the election from the beginning but had also offered to back any other Opposition candidate.
Congress sources said the government had not reached out to it for a consensus but only conveyed that JD-U member Harivansh will be its candidate.
The decision came amid reports that Bihar Chief Minister and JD-U leader Nitish Kumar had called up Odisha Chief Minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik to seek support for the party nominee.
Kumar had also called up TRS chief and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao seeking his party’s support for the party candidate.
Congress will give the motion in favour of its nominee on Wednesday. All the motions for the election of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman will be moved on Thursday and taken for vote in succession. If a motion gets carried, others will not be taken up in the House.
Though the Opposition seemed to have an edge in the election initially, the NDA now appears to be carrying the momentum with likely support of AIADMK, TRS as also the BJD.
There is also speculation that BJD may not take part in voting.
The opposition parties had a meeting earlier in the day and a leader conveyed that Vandana Chavan’s name was being “actively considered.”
The sources said NCP took a decision not to put up a candidate after getting feedback from Shiv Sena and Biju Janata Dal.
Apart from Azad and Pawar, the meeting was attended by Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Ahmed Patel, Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Ram Gopal Yadav, NCP’s Praful Patel and Communist Party of India’s (CPI) D. Raja.
The parties which would support an opposition nominee include the Congress (50), TMC (14), SP (13), TDP (6), CPI-M (5), CPI (2), NCP (4), AAP (3), BSP (4), RJD (5), PDP (2), JD-S (1), Nominated (1), Kerala Congress-Mani (1) and IUML (1).
Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu had on Monday announced that the new Deputy Chairman to the upper House will be elected on August 9.
The post fell vacant after P.J. Kurien retired in July.
The election will be held a day before the monsoon session of Parliament concludes.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.