New Delhi: In a historic event, Kodikunnil Suresh, the opposition’s candidate, will be competing against Om Birla from the BJP for the position of Lok Sabha speaker. This marks the first time in decades that such a battle has taken place, as the two parties were unable to reach an agreement on seat division.
The election for the Lok Sabha Speaker is scheduled to take place on June 26. The following day, on June 27, President Murmu is set to address a joint session of both houses of Parliament.
Meanwhile, today marked the continuation of the oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected members of the 18th Lok Sabha. This is the second day of the first session of the Lower House of Parliament. The NDA, with 293 MPs out of the 543-member Lok Sabha, holds a clear majority, while the opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc has 234 MPs.
The government has decided to maintain continuity by reappointing Om Birla as the Speaker.
After days of uncertainty surrounding the Lok Sabha Speaker’s position, the NDA has made the decision to once again nominate Om Birla for the role. Om Birla, a member of the BJP, previously held the position of Speaker in the previous Lok Sabha. According to sources, Mr. Birla is expected to submit his nomination at 11.30 am today.
Sources have indicated that the opposition INDIA bloc is unlikely to contest the post, making it highly probable that Mr. Birla will be elected unopposed. The election of a Lok Sabha Speaker requires a simple majority vote from Members of Parliament.
In the past, the BJP had the advantage of commanding majorities following the 2014 and 2019 elections, allowing them to nominate Sumitra Mahajan and Om Birla for the position without any opposition. However, this time around, the BJP does not possess the same level of numerical strength. Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party holds the largest number of seats in Parliament with 240, they fall short of a majority by 32 seats. As a result, they rely on the support of Nitish Kumar’s JDU and Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP to maintain their position in power.
The Government and the Opposition will face off in the first contest for the post of Speaker since 1946.
In a significant move, the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc has put forward the name of Kodikunnil Suresh, a seasoned eight-time MP from Kerala, as their nominee for the esteemed position of Lok Sabha Speaker. This development has set the stage for a highly anticipated election for the top parliamentary post, marking the first time such an election has taken place since 1946.
The nomination of Mr. Suresh serves as a clear indication of the ongoing tense standoff between the INDIA group and the ruling coalition, spearheaded by the BJP. In an attempt to foster consensus, the ruling coalition had approached the opposition, specifically Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, to seek their support in re-appointing Kota MP Om Birla as the Speaker.
While the INDIA bloc expressed their willingness to support Mr. Birla, they emphasized the importance of adhering to parliamentary tradition by allocating the deputy’s post to a member of the opposition. This demand highlights the bloc’s commitment to upholding established norms and practices within the parliamentary framework.
Updates on Parliament:
- Om Birla, a BJP MP, is sworn in as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha.
- Charanjit Singh Channi, the former Chief Minister of Punjab and Congress MP, has been inaugurated as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha.
- Aparajita Sarangi, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been sworn in as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha.
- NDA leaders signed a motion paper in favour of Om Birla for the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha.
- Sambit Patra, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been sworn in as a member of the 18th Lok Sabha.
- In Delhi, Chief Minister of Telangana, Revanth Reddy, had a meeting with Union Health Minister JP Nadda.