Legendary athlete PT Usha to chair Rajya Sabha

Legendary former athlete P T Usha (58), a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, on Tuesday joined the vice-chairman panel to preside over the House.

This comes days after she was elected the first woman president of the Indian Olympic Association.

She is the first nominated member who will be presiding over the Rajya Sabha as a member of the panel of vice-chairpersons. Along with her, also nominated to the panel was YSR Congress Party member Vijay Sai Reddy.

Announcing the decision, Jagdeep Dhankar said, "This is the first time a nominated member has been appointed in the panel."

PT Usha was also elected as the president of the Indian Olympic Association recently. The 58-year-old Usha, a multiple Asian Games gold medallist and fourth-place finisher in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 400m hurdles final, was declared elected unopposed for the top post in the polls being held under the supervision of Supreme Court-appointed retired SC judge L Nageswara Rao.

The elevation of Usha to the top job will also mark the end of the long-drawn crisis in the faction-ridden IOA, which was warned of a possible suspension by the International Olympic Committee if elections, originally due in December last year, are not held this month.