Om Birla was chosen Speaker of the Lok Sabha, defying the custom of unanimous selection. Congratulations to Birla, PM Modi
Today, June 26, voice votes were used to approve a resolution put forth by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, electing Om Birla, the NDA’s nomination, as Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
“Yeses” and “Noes” reverberated across the assembly as pro-tem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab proclaimed Om Birla the new lower house speaker. The opposition did not push for a split vote; K Suresh had been submitted as the INDIA bloc’s nominee for Speaker.
Om Birla was led to the speaker’s chair of the Lok Sabha by Congressman Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As the leader of the House, I congratulate you and look forward to working with you for the next five years, PM Modi remarked.
Speaking to Speaker Om Birla of the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Modi observed, “Your warm smile brightens up the entire House.”
For the first time, the Lok Sabha Speaker was put to a vote. It was customary for the opposition to select the speaker unanimously. The deputy speaker is subject to the demand from the opposition that democracy be unconstrained.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the midst of a contest for the job with the opposition’s INDIA alliance, moved the resolution today in the Lok Sabha to designate Om Birla as the lower house Speaker.
Ordinarily, the opposition and the ruling party work together to elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
The three-time MP from Kota, Rajasthan, Om Birla of the BJP, and the eight-term lawmaker from Mavelikara, Kerala, Kodikunnil Suresh, engaged in a contest for the position of Speaker of the Lok Sabha. This came after the NDA turned down the opposition INDIA bloc’s request to be given the Deputy Speaker’s post in return for their backing of the NDA nominee.
The NDA used its majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha—293 MPs—to guarantee Om Birla’s return to the seat he occupied during the 17th Lok Sabha.
The 18th Lok Sabha’s first session began on June 24 and is expected to end on July 3.
