2 min readApr 10, 2026 11:18 AM IST
After two consecutive terms, senior Janata Dal (United) leader Harivansh has been nominated for another six-year term in the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu.
This development ended speculation about whether Harivansh would continue his membership of the Upper House after making way for JD(U) patriarch Nitish Kumar on one of the four seats that the key National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally occupies in the House. Kumar is scheduled to take the oath soon and demit office as Bihar chief minister.
According to the current configuration of the 245-member House, the NDA holds sway in 141 seats, which include 105 for the BJP, five for the AIADMK, and four each for the Nationalist Congress Party and JD(U), among others.
A senior party hand and former journalist with over decades of experience in the field, Harivansh currently serves as the deputy chairperson of the Council of States. His nomination was notified early on Friday.
A few months shy of turning 70 this June, Harivansh was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 2014 and served as a member on several key committees, including the Standing Committee on Defence, the Select Committee of Rajya Sabha on the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013, the Joint Committee on the Bill to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, among others.
He first served as deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha between August 9, 2018, and April, 2020. Following a brief break in this spell, he has served on the same post since September 14, 2020.
