Lok Sabha Speaker Election 2024 HIGHLIGHTS: Back as Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla leaves Opposition fuming over ‘Emergency’ remarks

The Opposition did not seek a division of votes that would have led to voting to elect the Lok Sabha Speaker despite fielding a candidate for the post. The decision left many wondering if the INDIA bloc was apprehensive of calling for a division as that could negatively impact its numbers and show them in poor light. However, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the Opposition could have called for a division but did not as it wanted the Lok Sabha to begin on a note of consensus. “We didn’t ask for division of votes because we found it appropriate that there be a consensus on the first day, that there be an atmosphere of consensus on the first day. This was a constructive step from our end. We could have asked for division (of votes),” Ramesh said.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned after the conclusion of the Speaker’s election process and the Prime Minister’s introduction of the Council of Ministers to the Lok Sabha. The House is scheduled to meet at 11 AM tomorrow for the President’s address to a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The adjournment came amid sloganeering by Opposition leaders after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla‘s reference to the Emergency and terming it a “black chapter” in the history of India‘s democracy.

The Lok Sabha witnessed an uproar after the newly-elected Speaker Om Birla referred to the Emergency imposed in the country in 1975 and said that the House condemns the action, terming it a “black chapter” for Indian democracy. Opposition benches immediately reacted and raised slogans as the Speaker continued to read a resolution condemning the Emergency. Notably, June 25 marked the 50th anniversary of the Emergency being imposed.

“This House strongly condemns the decision to impose Emergency in 1975. Along with this, we appreciate the determination of all those people who opposed the Emergency, fought and fulfilled the responsibility of protecting the democracy of India. June 25, 1975 will always be known as a black chapter in the history of India. On this day, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in the country and attacked the Constitution made by Baba Saheb Ambedkar. India is known all over the world as the mother of democracy. Democratic values ​​and debate have always been supported in India. Democratic values ​​have always been protected, they have always been encouraged. Dictatorship was imposed on such an India by Indira Gandhi. The democratic values ​​of India were crushed and freedom of expression was strangled,” the Lok Sabha Speaker said amid sloganeering by Opposition members.

With the Speaker election concluding, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now introducing his Council of Ministers to the Lok Sabha. This is a custom that is followed after every new government assumes charge. As per the schedule of the special session, President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on Thursday.

Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said in Lok Sabha that he hopes Speaker Om Birla accords the same degree of support to the Opposition benches as he will to the Treasury benches. The remarks came as a stark reminder of the acrimony between the Opposition and the government as well as Om Birla as Speaker with a record number of suspensions during the 17th Lok Sabha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju escorted Om Birla to occupy the Speaker’s chair following his election by a voice vote.

The BJP-led NDA has reposed faith in Om Birla as the Lok Sabha Speaker for a second consecutive term. Birla’s appointment is another sign of continuity by the government after most senior ministers were retained in their old portfolios during the formation of the Union Cabinet in the third term of the Narendra Modi government.

Samajwadi Party president and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav congratulated Om Birla for his election as the Lok Sabha Speaker and hoped that the House functions without any bias or prejudice.

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi congratulated Om Birla for his re-election as Lok Sabha Speaker. Addressing the House, Rahul expressed hope that the Speaker would allow members of the Opposition to speak and raise the voice of the people of the country in a fair manner in the Lok Sabha.

Om Birla, the NDA nominee for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker, was on Wednesday elected the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. Despite the Opposition fielding Om Birla as a candidate for the post, it did not seek a division when the motion for Birla’s appointment was put to a voice vote. Initial jitters emerged in the Opposition camp after the Trinamool Congress said it was not consulted on fielding K Suresh as the joint Speaker nominee. Reports this morning claimed the Opposition may not seek a division of votes if it wasn’t sure of the Trinamool Congress’ support.

The Parliament session in the Lok Sabha began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposing Om Birla as the Lok Sabha speaker. The proposal was seconded by BJP‘s Rajnath Singh, JD(U)’s Lallan Singh, and other NDA leaders.

BJP MP Om Birla has been re-elected as the Lok Sabha Speaker for a rare second term. The appointment was confirmed by a voice vote in Lok Sabha to a proposal moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The motion was passed by a voice vote and the Opposition did not seek a division.

The Parliament session began in Lok Sabha with Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposing Om Birla‘s name as the Lok Sabha Speaker. The proposal was seconded by BJP‘s Rajnath Singh, JD(U)’s Lallan Singh and other NDA leaders.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that no discussions have taken place yet between the Opposition and government benches regarding support or consensus on the Speaker’s name. “No discussions were done. Election is going to take place and that is why we have nominated our candidate,” he said.

This comes after the Centre on Tuesday accused the Congress of offering conditional support to the NDA nominee if the government leaves the Deputy Speaker’s post for the Opposition.

With 293 MPs and the support of 4 YSRCP members, the NDA appeared confident of a victory for its Lok Sabha Speaker nominee Om Birla. The Opposition, which has fielded eight-time Kerala MP Kodikunnil Suresh for the post, has 232 MPs, including 29 TMC members.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet NDA MPs in Parliament before voting begins to elect a new Speaker for the 18th Lok Sabha. The PM is expected to hold a quick deliberation with the MP regarding the strategy in the House for the election.

Today’s session will begin with MPs who haven’t yet taken oath signing the roll of members followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposing Om Birla as the Speaker and Rajnath Singh seconding the motion.

After the name has been proposed, 13 NDA MPs including Lallan Singh, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Amit Shah, Chirag Paswan, Jadhav Pratap Rao Ganpatrao, HD Kumaraswamy, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Indra hand Subba, Anupriya Patel, Virendra Kumar, SP Singh Baghel and Annpurna Devi will also move the motion to elect Om Birla as the Lok Sabha Speaker. From the INDIA bloc, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Ganpat Sawant, Samajwadi Party’s Anand Bhadauria, and NCP (SCP) MP Supriya Sule will move the motion to elect K Suresh as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha.

Clearly short of the required majority to appoint a Lok Sabha Speaker, the INDIA bloc has forced a contest for the Lok Sabha Speaker’s election in a bid to show the government in poor light. A contest would serve as bad optics for the government over its presumed failure to draw a consensus on the Speaker’s name and add fuel to its criticism of the government being confrontational.

With seven MPs yet to take oath for various reasons, the effective strength of the Lok Sabha at the time of voting is expected to be 535 after Rahul Gandhi vacated his Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. The NDA has 293 MPs and has secured the support of 4 MPs of the YSRCP. The Opposition, including TMC, has 233 MPs and is well short of the majority mark of 268.

The INDIA bloc appeared to get cold feet after fielding Congress MP Kodkunnil Suresh as its Speaker nominee as the Trinamool Congress, with 29 MPs, said it wasn’t consulted on the matter and termed the decision as “unilateral”. This morning, Congress nominee Suresh said he was confident of the Trinamool Congress’ support and that things had been sorted out after a meeting with TMC leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Derek O’Brien.

The Speaker’s election is set to see a rare contest between the ruling and Opposition parties’ nominees despite the government having the numbers on its side. The ruling NDA alliance has 293 MPs and already has the support of 4 YSR Congress Party MPs while the INDIA bloc has 232. The magic figure required to gain a simple majority is 271.

The Lok Sabha Speaker is elected by a simple majority, which means the candidate must receive more than half of the votes from the members present in the house to win.

BJP Spokesperson CR Kesavan criticized the Congress over today’s Speaker election. He accused the party of using K Suresh as a sacrificial candidate in an election that they are confident of losing.

Commenting on the Lok Sabha Speaker election, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari accused the BJP of prioritizing power and undermining democratic norms, which he claimed led to the current contest. He expressed disappointment that if traditional norms had been followed, the Speaker post would have been uncontested for the BJP, with the Deputy Speaker position going to Congress and the INDIA Alliance. Tiwari alleged that the BJP’s actions reflect a disregard for democratic principles and traditions, prompting the Congress to engage in what he described as a democratic protest. He asserted their commitment to vocalizing their opposition and defending democratic values during this process.

Om Birla is a three-time former MLA from Rajasthan and currently an MP from Kota who has advanced in the BJP ranks. K Suresh, an eight-term MP from Kerala, comes from the Dalit community. If elected, Birla would become the fifth Speaker to serve in more than one Lok Sabha term. Balram Jakhar, a Congress leader, is the only one so far to have presided over both the seventh and eighth Lok Sabhas.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday praised Rahul Gandhi‘s appointment as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. He said that now, Rahul Gandhi will speak up for the common people in the House, making sure their voices are heard. “In the 18th Lok Sabha, the House of the People shall truly reflect the aspirations of the last person standing, with Rahul Gandhi becoming their voice,” Kharge posted on platform X.

Commenting on Rahul Gandhi‘s election as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP K. Suresh emphasized the presence of a robust opposition in the 18th Lok Sabha led by Rahul Gandhi. He stated that under Gandhi’s leadership, they will have a strong Opposition. Therefore, they are prepared to challenge the “undemocratic” practices of this government

Responding to TMC’s remark about a “unilateral decision” on the INDIA bloc’s candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker post, Congress MP K. Suresh clarified that the issue was resolved the previous evening. He mentioned that TMC leaders Derek O’Brien and Kalyan Banerjee attended the INDIA Alliance meeting at Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence. During the meeting, the situation was explained to them, and they understood and agreed to cooperate.

Congress MP and INDIA bloc’s candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker post, K Suresh today said that number is not an issue but the NDA has broken the convention and that is why they are fighting.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday to seek agreement on nominating Om Birla as the Speaker of Lok Sabha. Congress sources revealed that Kharge also brought up the matter of the Deputy Speaker during the discussion and was told it would be addressed on Tuesday morning. However, just before the noon deadline for Speaker nominations on Tuesday, the ruling party sought signatures for Birla’s nomination without making any promises regarding the Deputy Speaker position.