The Opposition has regretfully decided to boycott the election of the Deputy Chairman scheduled for April 17, said senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh while outlining a series of objections to the process and the candidature backed by the NDA.Ramesh on Thursday said the decision was taken as a “mark of protest”, while maintaining that there was “no disrespect” to NDA nominee Harivansh.The Congress leader flagged what he termed as an “unprecedented situation” in Parliament, pointing out that the Narendra Modi government has not appointed a Deputy Speaker in the Lok Sabha for the past seven years. He said such a delay had “never happened before” and raised concerns over the functioning of parliamentary conventions.Drawing a parallel with the Rajya Sabha, Ramesh noted that the Deputy Chairman serves as the counterpart to the Deputy Speaker. He said Harivansh’s second term as Deputy Chairman ended on April 9, and that he was subsequently nominated by the President to the Upper House a day later.Ramesh further underlined that the NDA has fielded Harivansh for a third term as Deputy Chairman and this marks the first time that a President-nominated member has been considered for the post, raising questions over established parliamentary practice.”Never before has a person nominated by the President to the Rajya Sabha been considered for the post of its Deputy Chairman,” he said.The Opposition also criticised the government for proceeding without what it described as “any meaningful consultations”, alleging that consensus-building, a key feature in such appointments, had been bypassed.“For these three reasons and as a mark of protest — but not with any disrespect to the very learned Harivansh — the Opposition has regretfully decided to boycott the election of the Deputy Chairman scheduled for April 17,” Ramesh said, adding that the move was intended as a protest against the manner in which the process has unfolded.At the same time, he expressed hope that if elected again, Harivansh would be “more accommodative and receptive” to the concerns raised by Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha.