Veteran Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh, who has filed his nomination as opposition candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker polls, said the opposition decided to contest—the first time in the history of Parliament—because of the government's belligerence.
It's not solely about numbers, Kodikunnil Suresh said, adding that it is about upholding the tradition of the Lok Sabha.
“Historically, the Speaker's position is assigned to the ruling party, while the deputy speaker's role is designated for the opposition. However, the government is unwilling to concede the deputy speaker's position to us. Hence, we've decided to contest,” Kodikunnil Suresh said.
After filing his nomination for the post, he said, "I have filed my nomination. It is the party's decision, not mine. There is a convention in Lok Sabha that the Speaker will be from the ruling party and the deputy speaker will be from the opposition. The deputy speaker is our right. But they are not ready to give it to us. Till 11:50 am we were waiting for a response from the government, but they did not give any response. That is why we filed the nomination."
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An eight-term MP, Kodikunnil Suresh was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989 and then again in the 1991, 1996 and 1999 elections. He lost the polls in 1998 and 2004. Suresh, who has an LLB degree, again won in 2009, 2014, 2019 and the just-concluded 2024 elections. In 2009, he won again but his victory was challenged by his nearest rival who alleged that Suresh produced a fake caste certificate and that he was a Christian. The Kerala High Court had declared his election invalid but the decision was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
