The stage is set for the historic Lok Sabha speaker elections on Wednesday as BJP’s Om Birla, a three-time MP from Kota in Rajasthan, takes on Congress’ Kodikunnil Suresh, an eight-term parliamentarian from Kerala’s Mavelikara. This is probably the fourth time that the elections are being held for the post, the other times being in 1952, 1967 and 1976.
The elections were made necessary after a resurgent opposition forced a contest in the Lok Sabha after talks with the government failed to yield consensus.
The NDA government nominated Om Birla for the post, signalling continuity. Birla is trusted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for running the house when the Opposition is likely to use every opportunity to put the government on the mat. Birla had frosty relations with the Opposition as they alleged that he did not give them adequate time and even suspended many of them for protesting.
As for the Opposition, the choice was Kodikunnil Suresh, the longest-serving parliamentarian in the 18th Lok Sabha.
While the contest will script history, the NDA has an edge as the JD(U) and the TDP are on its side. The NDA has 293 MPs in the 543-member house, while the INDIA alliance has 233 MPs (Wayanad has fallen vacant after Rahul Gandhi retained Rae Bareli). The NDA is trying to enlist the support of other non-aligned MPs, too.
How is the Speaker elected?
The election of the Speaker is governed by Article 93 of the Constitution.
It says: "The House of the People shall, as soon as may be, choose two members of the House to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker thereof and, so often as the office of Speaker or Deputy Speaker becomes vacant, the House shall choose another member to be Speaker or Deputy Speaker, as the case may be."
As for the criteria to be elected to the post, the Constitution mandates that the Speaker must be a member of the House. There is no mention of any specific qualifications. Though the convention is that a ruling party member (party with the most MPs) becomes the Speaker and a member of the opposition becomes the Deputy Speaker, the last two NDA governments did not see the Opposition get the Deputy Speaker post.
Before the first session of the new Lok Sabha, the members nominate a person to become the pro-tem Speaker. Though it is usually the
senior-most MP, the NDA did not follow the convention this time, while going with Bhartruhari Mahtab this time. It is pro-tem Speaker who administers the oath to the newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs).
The first two days of the session are dedicated to this oath-taking ceremony and the nominations for the Speaker's election must be submitted by June 25, with the election happening on the third day.
The elections will be held from 11 am. Both the BJP and Congress have issued three-line whips to their members, mandating their presence in the Lok Sabha. The election is straightforward with voting being done by a simple majority of members present and voting in the House.
Following the election, President Murmu will address a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on June 27.
