Om Birla elected Lok Sabha speaker for the second term
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Om Birla was elected Speaker of the House on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi moved the motion for his election in the Lok Sabha. Birla received congratulations from Modi, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and various leaders from both the NDA and the opposition.
The Opposition had earlier moved the motion to elect Congress leader K Suresh as the Lok Sabha speaker. But it was discarded after the House adopted the Prime Minister’s motion following a voice vote.
The election to the Lok Sabha speaker post took place for the first time in decades as the BJP-led NDA government and the Congress-led INDIA opposition couldn’t agree on a candidate. Elections to the post have been held only three times so far: in 1952, 1967, and 1976.
Traditionally, the Lok Sabha Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been chosen by consensus between the ruling party and the opposition. This contest featured BJP’s Om Birla, a three-time MP from Kota, Rajasthan, against Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh, an eight-term MP from Mavelikara, Kerala, and the longest-serving parliamentarian in the 18th Lok Sabha.
Both the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress Party had issued directives to their members, requiring their presence in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
On the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha session, 262 newly elected MPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were sworn in. Today, the remaining 281 new MPs, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, will take oath.
