RS Deputy Chairman election: Don't have problem with JD (U) candidate, says SAD

New Delhi, Aug 7: Amid reports that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is miffed with the NDA over the choice of candidate for the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman election, the Punjab-based party on Tuesday said there is no 'disagreement' between them and the BJP.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu yesterday (August 6) announced in the House that the election will be held at 11 am on August 9.

In April, the NDA had reportedly considered backing SAD MP Naresh Gujral for the post of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman. But, on Monday, it emerged that the NDA's candidate would be JD (U)'s Harivansh.

After this, some quarters of the media said that a miffed SAD may abstain from the election. It was said that such a decision was taken at a meeting of SAD leaders at the residence of its President Sukhbir Badal.

SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra, however, told ANI, "There is nothing like this, we are not standing apart from NDA. Neither we requested our candidate nor BJP had any disagreement with us, these are all rumours."

Another SAD leader Sukhdev S Dhindsa said they have no issues with the JD (U) candidate.

"We don't have any problem with candidate as JDU is our friend but 1st they told our candidate Naresh Gujral to prepare. He was preparing and suddenly they nominated JDU's candidate without informing us," Dhindsa told ANI.

The post of the deputy chairman has been lying vacant since June following the retirement of P J Kurien, who was elected to the Upper House of Parliament on a Congress ticket from Kerala. While the BJP-led NDA did not make any formal announcement, sources said Harivansh, a first-time parliamentarian, is likely to be their choice for the post.