Former PM Manmohan Singh To Miss Parliament Session As His RS Term Ends

Mumbai: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will miss this year’s budget session as his 30-year-long tenure as Rajya Sabha member has come to an end.

Since 1991 this would be the first time ever when he will not be a part Parliament upper House due to Congress’ poor strength in the state Assembly.

Congress could not re-elect him from Assam because he only had 25 MLAs, while 43 first-rate votes were required. Due to the lack of five old MLAs, the Grand Old Party got support from the 13th All India United Democratic Front legislators.

The party even cannot send Singh from other states where Rajya Sabha seats are vacant. With the election of BJP’s Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and AGP’s Birender Prasad Baishya’s unopposed election from Assam, a total of nine seats are lying vacant in Odisha (4), Tamil Nadu (1), Bihar (2) and Gujarat (2).

Though Singh can be sent from Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan or Punjab to the House, there are no vacancies in these states. The party has the last option for any other leader to resign and to elect the former prime minister twice in the house. However, party sources say that this has not been considered in the party.

The Congress does not have the necessary number to secure any Rajya Sabha berth in these states except Gujarat, where it is ready to grab at least one seat.

During his tenure as a Rajya Sabha MP for 28 years, he led the Upper House for 10 years from 2004 to 2014 and worked as Leader of the Opposition for six years. Singh was previously elected to the House in 2013.

After the formation of a new government at the Center, the first budget session of Parliament will start on 17th June.

(With ANI Inputs)