Instead, Ms Banerjee objected to both Mr Mukherjee and the other (lesser) candidate, Hamid Ansari, India's vice-president.

ECONOMIST: Banyan

In the Rajya Sabha (the upper house), Chairman Hamid Ansari agreed to hold a discussion on FDI in retail under Rule 168 which entails voting.

BBC: India parliament to hold economic reforms vote

Even Vice President Hamid Ansari regretted the development, saying that the Press Council's inability to come out with the report was "a pointer to the problems of self-regulation and the culture of silence in the entire industry when it comes to self-criticism".

BBC: Why are India's media under fire?