Table of Contents
List of Chairmen of Rajya Sabha of India
The presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha is known as the Chairman. The Vice-President of India is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. He presides over the meetings of the Rajya Sabha. The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha can be removed from his office only if he is removed from the office of the Vice-President.
The Chairman is not a member of the Rajya Sabha. He is normally not entitled to vote. He can vote only in case of a tie. Refer to the table given below to learn about the Chairmen of the Rajya Sabha from 1952 to 2022.
| Serial Number | Name | Tenure |
| 1 | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | 13 May 1952 – 12 May 1962 |
| 2 | Zakir Husain | 13 May 1962 – 12 May 1967 |
| 3 | Varahagiri Venkata Giri | 13 May 1967 – 3 May 1969 |
| 4 | Gopal Swarup Pathak | 31 August 1969 – 30 August 1974 |
| 5 | B. D. Jatti | 31 August 1974 – 30 August 1979 |
| 6 | M. Hidayatullah | 31 August 1979 – 30 August 1984 |
| 7 | R. Venkataraman | 31 August 1984 – 24 July 1987 |
| 8 | Shanker Dayal Sharma | 3 September 1987 – 24 July 1992 |
| 9 | K. R. Narayanan | 21 August 1992 – 24 July 1997 |
| 10 | Krishan Kant | 21 August 1997 – 27 July 2002 |
| 11 | Bhairon Singh Shekhawat | 19 August 2002 – 21 July 2007 |
| 12 | M. Hamid Ansari | 11 August 2007 – 10 August 2017 |
| 13 | M. Venkaiah Naidu | 11 August 2017 – 10 August 2022 |
| 14 | Jagdeep Dhankhar | 11 August 2022 – Incumbent |
As a presiding officer, the powers and functions of the Chairman in the Rajya Sabha are similar to those of the Speaker in the Lok Sabha. However, the Speaker has two special powers which are not enjoyed by the Chairman:
- The Speaker presides over a joint sitting of two Houses of Parliament.
- The Speaker decides whether a bill is a money bill or not and his decision on this question is final.
Salaries and allowances of the Chairman are fixed by the Parliament and charged on the Consolidated Fund of India. When the Vice-President acts as President or discharges the functions of the President, he does not perform the duties of the office of the Chairman of Rajya Sabha. At this time, he is not entitled to any salary or allowance payable to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. But he paid the salary and allowance of the Vice-President during such a time.
The Vice-President cannot preside over a sitting of the Rajya Sabha as its Chairman when a resolution for his removal is under consideration. However, he can be present and speak in the House and can take part in its proceedings, without voting, even at such a time.
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