The government and the opposition couldn’t agree on who should be the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha, leading to a rare election for the Speaker’s position. Breaking a tradition that has lasted for decades, BJP MP Om Birla and Congress MP K Suresh filed nominations for the Speaker’s election. The opposition insisted on having the Deputy Speaker’s post, which the BJP refused, leading to this election.
Key Points About the Speaker’s Election:
1. On Monday, Congress leaders KC Venugopal and TR Baalu from DMK met with Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and JP Nadda at the Defence Minister’s office in Parliament. The opposition leaders walked out of the meeting, saying the government refused to support an opposition candidate for the Deputy Speaker’s post. They later announced K Suresh’s candidacy for the Speaker’s position.
2. Union ministers Piyush Goyal (BJP) and Lalan Singh (JD(U)) accused the opposition of using pressure tactics and putting forth conditions despite assurances from senior ministers that their demands would be considered. Lalan Singh stated, “There can be no pressure politics.”
3. Om Birla is likely to win the election as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has 293 members in the Lok Sabha, compared to the INDIA bloc’s 233 members. The opposition’s alliance initially had 234 seats, but Rahul Gandhi resigned from the Wayanad seat. According to PTI, three independent Lok Sabha members are likely to support the opposition.
4. BJP sources reported by PTI suggest that the Congress has been the main force behind the opposition’s stance, while some INDIA bloc members were not keen on a contest. Meanwhile, YSRCP may support the NDA candidate.
5. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Mamata Banerjee, expressed disappointment with the Congress’s decision to nominate K Suresh without consulting them. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee stated that the decision was made unilaterally and that the TMC will decide its stance before the election.
6. The INDIA bloc held a strategy meeting at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s house in Delhi. Key leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, and representatives from various parties, attended.
7. K Suresh, the opposition candidate, is the longest-serving Lok Sabha MP, having served for 29 years. He is the working president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and was the chief whip of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the 17th Lok Sabha.
8. If Om Birla, the BJP MP from Kota, is elected, he will be one of the few Speakers to serve beyond one Lok Sabha term. Congress leader Balram Jakhar is the only one to have served two complete terms. Birla is a third-term MP and a former three-term Rajasthan MLA.
9. K Suresh said the government did not respond to the opposition’s request for the Deputy Speaker post until 11:50. He mentioned that in the last two Lok Sabhas, the Deputy Speaker post was denied to the opposition because they were not recognized as the opposition. Now, even though they are recognized, the government is not ready to give them the post.
10. Traditionally, the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been elected by consensus. However, elections for the Speaker’s post have happened at least twice in India’s history: in 1952 and 1976.
This rare election highlights the lack of consensus between the ruling party and the opposition in the new Lok Sabha, setting the stage for a contested and potentially contentious Speaker election.
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