Lok Sabha Speaker Election: BJP’s Om Birla vs Congress’ K Suresh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will move a motion to elect BJP’s Om Birla as the Lok Sabha Speaker. This marks a rare contested Speaker election, last held in 1976, due to a lack of consensus between the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA opposition.
Traditionally, Speaker and Deputy Speaker were chosen by consensus. This time, BJP’s Om Birla, a three-time MP from Kota, faces Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh, an eight-term MP from Mavelikara, Kerala.
On the first day of the 18th Lok Sabha session, 262 MPs, including PM Modi, were sworn in. The remaining 281, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, will take their oaths today. The Speaker election is set for Wednesday.
Despite the INDIA bloc’s request for the Deputy Speaker role, the NDA did not agree, prompting the INDIA bloc to nominate K Suresh. Suresh, the longest-serving MP in the 18th Lok Sabha, holds significant roles in the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and served as the Congress Parliamentary Party’s chief whip during the 17th Lok Sabha.
NDA’s Om Birla has an edge with support from 293 MPs, while Suresh faces tough odds. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has urged for a unanimous election, though both sides remain prepared for a vote.
