A parliamentary bulletin issued on October 3 announced chairpersons for 24 standing committees. The annual reconstitution is effective from September 26, according to ANI and The Statesman; Saturday’s development is the announcement of the panel leadership.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi replaces Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen as chair of the Commerce Committee. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar replaces Kirti Azad at Chemicals and Fertilisers, leaving the Mamata Banerjee-led party without its two previous chairperson posts.
Shashi Tharoor remains chair of External Affairs and Charanjit Singh Channi of Agriculture. Other changes include Sujeet Kumar leading Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, and Sudheer Gupta taking the Railways Committee.
TMC parliamentary leader Derek O’Brien objected in a letter to the Rajya Sabha chairman, The Indian Express reported on October 3. Dastidar led MPs claiming a merger with another party; the newspaper reported that their request for separate recognition remained pending before the Lok Sabha Speaker.