The second day of the 18th Lok Sabha session saw intensified discussions over the Speaker election. Nominations for the post closed at noon, with Union Minister Rajnath Singh working to build consensus. On Day 1, 262 MPs, including PM Modi, took the oath; the remaining 281, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, will do so today.
NDA’s Om Birla and the INDIA bloc’s K Suresh filed nominations for Speaker. The INDIA bloc demands the Deputy Speaker post for supporting the NDA’s Speaker candidate. Congress leader KC Venugopal emphasized the tradition of the opposition holding the Deputy Speaker position, a stance supported by DMK’s TR Baalu.
Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Rajiv Ranjan criticized the opposition’s conditions, advocating for consensus without preconditions. The INDIA bloc’s floor leaders will meet at Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence tonight to discuss strategies. The Speaker election is scheduled for Wednesday.
