The Speaker for the 18th Lok Sabha will be chosen today. Senior BJP MP Om Birla, who served as the Speaker in the last Lok Sabha, is the NDA nominee for the post this time as well. On the other hand, the Opposition INDIA bloc has fielded Congress MP K Suresh for the position. Both candidates filed their nominations for the Speaker’s post yesterday, and the election is scheduled for today.
Despite hectic parleys, the government and the Opposition failed to reach a consensus on the post. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju emphasized that the Lok Sabha Speaker should be elected unanimously and unopposed. He noted that no election has been held for the post of Speaker since independence, and the government engaged with the floor leaders of the opposition parties to build consensus on the name of the Lok Sabha Speaker. Rijiju stated that the Congress-led opposition came up with conditions and demanded the Deputy Speaker post. He added that consensus should not be conditional and that they are ready to have a separate decision on the selection of the Deputy Speaker. Rijiju also appealed to the opposition bloc to reconsider their decision.
Speaking to the media outside Parliament yesterday, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said senior Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and J P Nadda met with Congress leader KC Venugopal and DMK MP TR Baalu to build consensus on the selection of Lok Sabha Speaker. Goyal mentioned that they were informed that the Deputy Speaker issue would be dealt with at the time of its election.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, speaking to the media outside Parliament, said that the Opposition is ready to extend support to the NDA nominee for the Speaker post provided that the Deputy Speaker post is given to the opposition.
As the election unfolds today, the country watches closely to see who will preside over the 18th Lok Sabha, steering parliamentary proceedings and ensuring the smooth functioning of the house.
