New Delhi, June 25: The political churning for election of new Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman in place of P. J. Kurien, who is retiring on July 1, is expected to pick up momentum in the coming days with the announcement on Monday of the schedule for Parliament's Monsoon Session.

The election of new Deputy Chairman will be on the top of agenda of the upper house of parliament when it meets for the monsoon session on July 18. 

The election will be a test of the strength of opposition which has been signalling a combined fight against BJP-led NDA in the next Lok Sabha polls.

An opposition leader said that looking at the numbers in Rajya Sabha, there was a probability of a candidate who does not belong to either the BJP or Congresss getting elected to the post. 

Opposition numbers have also gone up with TDP leaving the ruling BJP-led NDA in March this year and the BJP parting ways with the People's Democratic Party earlier this month. 

A contest is likely for the post with neither the NDA, not the Congress-led UPA having a clear majority support, and much depending on stance of parties such as Biju Janata Dal, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, AIADMK and YSRCP.

There is speculation that a combined opposition could support a BJD candidate for the post but party sources said the subject had not been broached with the party so far formally or informally. They said the issue had also not been deliberated within the party. 

BJD has been keeping an equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress. 

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Dubai: An explosion was heard over Dubai International Airport on Saturday, followed by a cloud of smoke in the air, according to a witness who spoke to AFP, as Iran continued attacks across the Gulf region.

The flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed several aircraft circling above the airport in what appeared to be a holding pattern.

Meanwhile, the Dubai Media Office said in a post on X that there had been “a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception.”

In the same post, authorities also denied reports circulating online about a direct strike on the airport.

Further details about the incident were not immediately available.