Rajya Sabha achieves 50% gender parity in Vice-Chairpersons’ panel with women nominations

In a historic achievement, the Rajya Sabha has achieved gender parity by nominating 50% women members to the panel of vice-chairmen. With the reconstitution of the panel before the monsoon session, eight members were nominated, and for the first time, half of them are women. This marks a significant milestone as women now have equal representation in the panel of vice-chairmen.

Among the nominated women MPs, Phangnon Konyak has become the first woman from Nagaland to be part of the vice-chair panel. All the nominated members are first-term MPs. Other women members in the panel include PT Usha, S. Phangnon Konyak, Fauzia Khan, and Sulata Deo.

PT Usha, a renowned athlete and Padma Shri recipient, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in July 2022. S. Phangnon Konyak, from the BJP, is the second woman from Nagaland to be elected to either the House of Parliament or the state assembly. Fauzia Khan, representing the Nationalist Congress Party, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 2020. Sulata Deo, a member of the Biju Janata Dal, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in July 2022.

In addition to these women members, V Vijayasai Reddy, Ghanshyam Tiwari, L Hanumanthaiah, and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray have also been nominated as members of the Vice-Chairmen's Panel. The achievement of gender parity in the Rajya Sabha's panel of vice-chairmen is seen as a positive step towards inclusivity and equal representation in the upper chamber.