With the deadline to file nominations for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker set for 12 pm Tuesday, a contest between the NDA and the opposition is emerging. If the INDIA bloc nominates a candidate, it would mark the first election for the Speaker of the lower house since independence. Historically, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been elected by consensus between the ruling party and the opposition.
BJP leaders have not revealed their nominee, but there is speculation that Om Birla, the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha, might be in contention again. Bhartruhari Mahtab, the current pro-tem Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha, is also considered a possible candidate. The nomination process is expected to occur today, with elections scheduled for Wednesday, June 26.
Amid controversy over Mahtab's appointment as pro-tem Speaker, INDIA bloc leaders protested on Monday, holding copies of the Constitution inside Parliament in New Delhi. Key Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge, participated in the demonstration.
The Deputy Speaker position, vacant in the last term, is traditionally offered to the opposition. In 2014, the BJP offered this role to AIADMK's Thambi Dhurai. It remains to be seen if the INDIA bloc, which lacks a majority in the lower house, will push for the Deputy Speaker's post in the 18th Lok Sabha.
Revolutionary Socialist Party MP NK Premachandran confirmed that the INDIA bloc will field candidates for both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker elections. "Definitely, we will contest the Speaker post as well as the Deputy Speaker post. Let the government come out with their opinion on whether they are going to discuss with the opposition parties so as to have a consensus on the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, and then we will think of it. Otherwise, we will definitely contest," Premachandran told ANI outside Parliament.
The swearing-in ceremony marked the beginning of the 18th Lok Sabha's first session, starting with the oath-taking of new MPs. The Lok Sabha Speaker will be elected on June 26, and President Murmu is scheduled to address a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on June 27.
The NDA, with 293 MPs in the 543-member Lok Sabha, holds a clear majority, while the opposition INDIA bloc has 234 MPs.
