Manoj Jha to be joint opposition candidate for Rajya Sabha deputy chairman poll

Various opposition parties on Thursday decided to field RJD leader Manoj Jha as their joint candidate for the September 14 election of the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman, sources said.

He will file his nomination papers Friday in presence of leaders of various opposition parties.

Jha will contest against NDA's nominee Harivansh of the JD-U. Harivansh was the RS deputy chairman till his previous term was over. He has since been re-elected from Bihar.

RJD and JDU are arch-rivals in Bihar where assembly elections will be held very soon.

Sources said a number of opposition leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress Deputy Leader Anand Sharma, Congress's chief whip in RS Jairam Ramesh and others from TMC, left parties, DMK, AAP and some other parties, will accompany Jha while filing his nomination papers for the post on Friday.

The Congress had said it will not let the post of deputy chairman go uncontested and decided to put up a joint candidate. P