The Crossbill News Desk
Three-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Om Birla has been elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha through a voice vote on Wednesday (June 26), after Prime Minister Narendra Modi moved the motion in the House.
Birla was elected against INDIA bloc's candidate K Suresh, to become only the second Lok Sabha speaker after Balram Jakhar in 1985 to get two full terms. He was the speaker in the previous Lok Sabha too. Meanwhile, K Suresh, whom Birla defeated, holds the distinction of being the longest-serving parliamentarian in the 18th Lok Sabha.
Earlier, the motions to elect Speaker of the Lok Sabha were moved by both NDA and INDIA factions. After Birla was elected, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju escorted him to the Speaker's chair.
Om Birla is a three-time MP from Kota, Rajasthan. This was only the third election for the Lok Sabha Speaker after Independence, after the Congress and the INDIA Bloc decided to field eight-time Congress MP K Suresh as a challenger.
Birla was adjudicated the winner after he got the support of 297 MPs, while K Suresh had 232.
Traditionally, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha were elected based on consensus between the ruling party and the opposition.
Earlier, the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had stated that the opposition will support the NDA candidate if the Deputy Speaker is appointed from the Opposition benches.
When the government made it clear that they were not considering a Deputy Speaker post for the opposition, the opposition decided to go for the contest.
Birla was elected against INDIA bloc's candidate K Suresh, to become only the second Lok Sabha speaker after Balram Jakhar in 1985 to get two full terms. He was the speaker in the previous Lok Sabha too. Meanwhile, K Suresh, whom Birla defeated, holds the distinction of being the longest-serving parliamentarian in the 18th Lok Sabha.
Earlier, the motions to elect Speaker of the Lok Sabha were moved by both NDA and INDIA factions. After Birla was elected, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju escorted him to the Speaker's chair.
Om Birla is a three-time MP from Kota, Rajasthan. This was only the third election for the Lok Sabha Speaker after Independence, after the Congress and the INDIA Bloc decided to field eight-time Congress MP K Suresh as a challenger.
Birla was adjudicated the winner after he got the support of 297 MPs, while K Suresh had 232.
Traditionally, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha were elected based on consensus between the ruling party and the opposition.
Earlier, the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had stated that the opposition will support the NDA candidate if the Deputy Speaker is appointed from the Opposition benches.
When the government made it clear that they were not considering a Deputy Speaker post for the opposition, the opposition decided to go for the contest.
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