By Haleema Badar
New Delhi: For the first time in the history of Rajya Sabha, the Upper House saw an all-women panel of Vice-Chairpersons comprising 13 women members today, after Vice-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar reconstituted the panel for the day when Rajya Sabha discussed the Nari Shakti Vandan Vidheyak Bill, 2023 (Women’s Reservation Bill).
The Vice-President emphasized that the presence of these women members on the chair would “send a powerful message to the world at large and it would symbolize that they held a ‘commanding position’ during this epochal moment of change”.
Previously, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar had nominated four women members, constituting 50% of the total panel of Vice-Chairpersons. At that time, S. Phangnon Konyak had created history when she became the first-ever woman member of the panel of Vice-Chairpersons on July 17, 2023. Thereafter, she again made history by becoming the first woman Rajya Sabha member from Nagaland to preside over the House. Even eminent athlete Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha, too, had created history by becoming the first nominated Member of Parliament in history to become the Vice Chairperson of Rajya Sabha.
Besides the four earlier nominated women members to the panel Vice Chairpersons – eminent athlete PT Usha, Konyak (Bhartiya Janata Party), Dr. Fauzia Khan (Nationalist Congress Party), and Sulata Deo (Biju Janata Dal), other Rajya Sabha members who joined the ranks for the day today were renowned Bollywood actress Jaya Bachchan, who has been a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha representing the Samajwadi Party since 2004; Saroj Pandey (Bharatiya Janata Party); Rajani Ashokrao Patil (Indian National Congress Party) who had earlier earned recognition by receiving the Best Debut Parliamentarian award for her outstanding performance in the Rajya Sabha; Dola Sen (Trinamool Congress); Indu Bala Goswami (Bharatiya Janata Party); Dr. Kanimozhi NVN Somu Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam); Kavita Patidar (Bharatiya Janata Party); Mahua Maji (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha ); and Kalpana Saini (Bharatiya Janata Party).
